Today is Jean-Michel Basquiat’s birthday. Though his life was tragically cut short at just 27, the artist rose to success in the early 1980s, brushing shoulders with celebrities and collaborating with Pop Art icons. 

Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York arrives at HOTA on the Gold Coast in Feb 2023. In a significant milestone for HOTA, the exhibition pairs works from Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat alongside artists inspired by their legacy. Together they paint a unique picture of Pop Art across the past 60 years to present Australia. 

Get yourself ready to be part of something extraordinary with five facts you mightn’t know about Jean-Michel Basquiat. 

1. Basquiat’s Untitled painting sold for $110.5 million. 

In 2017, a Japanese art collector bought Basquiat’s 1982 painting Untitled for $110.5 million, nearly twice the original estimated value. At the time, this smashed records for the highest price paid at auction for a work by an American. Over the years, Basquiat cemented his place as a favourite of celebrity art collectors, with stars such as Davie Bowie and Leonardo DiCaprio owning his works. 

2. Basquiat painted and delivered a painting to Andy Warhol within hours of meeting him. 

Basquiat met his long-term idol, Pop Art artist Andy Warhol in 1982. Basquiat raced home after the meeting, created the work Dos Cabezas, a double portrait of the two artists, and sent it to Warhol within hours of their meeting. The portrait sparked an intense friendship that culminated in many collaborations. 

3. He dated Madonna before she was a superstar. 

Basquiat dated Madonna in the early 80s, before she was a superstar. At the time, she was an aspiring entertainer performing at nightclubs. The two lived together when Basquiat briefly relocated to Los Angeles. Madonna later said in an interview that after they broke up, he took all the works he’d gifted her back and painted them all black. 

4. The first painting he sold was to Debbie Harry. 

Jean-Michel Basquiat sold his first painting in 1982 for just $200 to Debbie Harry, lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Basquiat met Harry through hip-hop artist Fab 5 Freddy, who was set to appear in the music video for Blondie’s song Rapture. Basquiat ended up filling in for Fab 5 Freddy who failed to show. 

5. Crowns became Basquiat’s signature motif. 

Crowns featured heavily in Basquiat’s works. He used them to challenge Western art, often adorning black male figures, such as athletes and musicians with them. There is much debate about their true meanings, but critics believe Basquiat used crowns to acknowledge those that influenced him and to portray his ambition for greatness. 

Come together to discover a story of Pop Art and experience an incredible collection of works up close at Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York. 

_{Image: Jean-Michel Basquiat 1985 © Lizzie Himmel. Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.}