Being Basquiat: His Art. His Life. His Masterpieces
To look at the photo above of legendary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, taken on Thursday, September 19, 1985, the confident smile and head-to-toe trendy attire we see depicted sadly masked a man who was internally dying inside. Just three summers later, he actually would be; the unfortunate victim of a heroin overdose at the budding young age of 27 years old.
Staying on that aforementioned night at the surprise birthday party for still-reigning nightlife queen Susanne Bartsch, thrown in late NYC tycoon Steven Greenberg’s world-famous art deco office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, also referred to as “The Rainbow Room,” Basquiat was literally at his career peak. Earlier in the year he appeared on the now-classic February 1985 cover of The New York Times Magazine, was preparing to make his runway debut that October for the COMME des GARÇONS Spring 1986 show and reportedly was making a then-staggering (still is to us!) $1.4 million per year from sales of his art in addition to upwards of $40,000 in lump sums from art dealers like Greenberg. Still, the rising fame of it all increased his paranoia in trusting an industry that not only fueled his fatal addiction but never took the time to truly understand the pain behind his erratically eloquent art style, which we’ve come to know and love.
The signature scribbles, abstract shapes, wild lines and a specific depiction of the human eye that oftentimes told stories of sadness could all be seen as signs for help. Sadly, his legion of fans and loyal buyers at the time may have seen nothing more than a timely trend in art culture.
It’s why we felt the sincere duty to honor Jean-Michel Basquiat not long after what would’ve been his 66th birthday (December 22, 2025). We looked at his artistry, the masterpieces that made him an icon from generation to generation, and crafted an overall breakdown of why hip-hop heavyweights like Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz, or world-famous institutions and brands from The Whitney Museum to Tiffany & Co., all call themselves proud collectors of big-budget Basquiat pieces.
Who knows…you might find yourself becoming a Basquiat fiend by the time you finish scrolling!
Why Jean-Michel Basquiat?
First things first: what makes Basquiat such a big deal? The real question, though, is how could you not be a fan? As a Brooklyn-born second child of four, raised with a combination of Haitian blood through his father and Puerto Rican roots through his mother, he was destined to be special.
Take a look below at what culture meant to Basquiat personally, by way of a 2019 interview ABC 7 conducted with his two younger sisters, Jeanine and Lisane:
“[Jean-Michel] was so ahead of his time — genius almost. He was able to put on canvas not only the paintings but also his thoughts. He shared information about the history of the world and his own personal history [in the form of] his own roots. There’s a lot of reference to Haiti, Puerto Rico and Africa. He also spoke about relationships that he had with people, and they would show up in his paintings. He also spoke about the things that he was upset about and disturbed about — things like racism and the way people were be treated in classism.“
Who is Jean-Michel Basquiat?
Making a name for himself in the art world was in the cards from the beginning, particularly coming from being a junior member of the Brooklyn Museum of Art during adolescence. It didn’t hurt that he could read and write by the age of four, or that he could fluently speak French, Spanish and English by the time he was 11. Teens were spent in angst, rebelling against an upbringing that included seeing his mom in and out of mental institutions. Running away from home led to juvenile delinquency, eventually sending him to NYC’s still-operating alternative learning institution, City-As-School. However, the transition would lead him to two pivotal moments that helped create the Jean-Michel Basquiat we know today: a friendship with classmate Al Diaz and their combined creation of the SAMO© graffiti tag.
Understanding Basquiat
The SAMO© tag is where Basquiat got his first lesson in branding, spending so much time in the late 1970s crafting slogans and taglines that could be found etched across buildings all throughout the city that even The Village Voice had to take notice. For many, it was the spark of a phenomenon that would burn out far too soon.
An interesting quote taken from “SAMO© Graffiti: BOOSH-WAH or CIA?” by writer Philip Faflick below, via The Village Voice (Dec. 11, 1978):
“Aided and abetted by a tight circle of friends, the bulk of SAMO©’s sayings are the work of two sharp, personable teenagers named Jean (17) and Al (19) who share remarkably similar handwriting and an unspoken agreement about where SAMO© is coming from.
Growing up in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side, respectively, both knocked about quite a bit. Jean dropped out — or was kicked out — of five or six schools. Al eventually found his way to Art and Design, where he was comfortable for a couple of years. Eventually he dropped out too — it seems he spent most of his time decorating subway cars.
‘Oh man, graffiti? Forget it. I was right in there with Snake 1, Phase Too, and all those cats. ’Cause that was my life at that point. Bomb 1, that was me. I must have gone through a hundred different markers before I was 16. Then after that I hung it up.
‘But when SAMO© came along it was like whoa! a rush, you know? A reason to start writing again. The stuff you see on the subways now is inane. Scribbled. SAMO© was like a refresher course because there’s some kind of statement being made. It’s not just ego graffiti.'”
Basics of Basquiat
We could start a riot if we tried to sit here and name every significant Basquiat piece, so we won’t! However, these essential works by the late legend should definitely be on your radar:
Irony of a Negro Policeman, c. 1981
Untitled, c. 1982
Charles The First, c. 1982
Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump, c.1982
Dustheads, c. 1982
Hollywood Africans, c. 1983
Horn Players, c. 1983
Head, c. 1983
Win $ 1’000’000, c. 1984
Riding with Death, c. 1988
Identifying (Authentic!) Basquiat
So you’ve gotten this far and want your own Basquiat — good luck, baller! Although his estate has reportedly halted authenticating pieces since 2012, take a look below at a few ways to spot a fake while on your hunt for gold, based on these insightful tips via ArtNet:
“1. They often include a depiction of a gold crown — Forgers seem to have seized upon Basquiat’s well-known motif and assumed that by placing it somewhere within the composition, an alchemical process occurs and—voila!—you have a genuine Basquiat. While not all crowns depicted in bona fide Basquiats are painted a yellow-gold, for some reason, they usually are in fakes.
2. They are often boldly signed on the front of the canvas — In fact, these signatures usually become a dominant compositional element—but Basquiat never signed his works on the front. Then there are those works signed on the verso with a crown above the initials ‘JMB.’ In general, many Basquiats are unsigned—but fakes always bear a signature.
3. They are often painted on found objects — Most people are aware that Basquiat worked on a multiplicity of objects and surfaces, ranging from doors to football helmets. Artists who manufacture ‘Basquiats’ use this knowledge to their advantage. One of the better forgeries we saw was painted on a mannequin. The artist was even thoughtful enough to cover its ears with graffiti-strewn headphones.
4. They often contain references to drugs — Despite Basquiat’s heroin habit, he rarely included words that referenced narcotics. One might assume that his drug indulgences were perhaps not something he was proud of—especially after being constantly lectured on the matter by his mentor Andy Warhol.
5. They often come with an amazing backstory — Inevitably, these stories revolve around the original owner acquiring the work directly from Basquiat. To increase the story’s street cred, the current owner will insist that the original buyer traded Basquiat drugs in exchange for the work. (There is also a common variation on that theme, which is that Basquiat was selling his work directly to buyers because he needed the money to buy drugs.) Naturally, because these deals flew under the radar, no invoices or paperwork exist.”
Buyers of Basquiat
An authentic Basquiat art piece can range from thousands to millions of dollars, so one of the key components of becoming a collector is having the funds to begin with. Take a look at a quick example of what a typical “Basquiat baller” looks like:
JAY-Z, hip-hop mogul
Swizz Beatz, multiplatinum-selling record producer
Johnny Depp, Oscar-nominated actor (later resold in auction to Christie’s)
Lenny Kravitz, rock music icon
Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer
Collecting Basquiat
To put things in perspective, Basquiat has roughly 1,000 paintings and around 3,000 drawings to his name. Given that the art world produces millions of pieces per year, it goes without saying that finding a genuine Basquiat and paying the right price takes skill and expertise. To think his first-ever sale of “Cadillac Moon” (c. 1981) was purchased by Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry for a stiff $200. She also put him in her music video for “Rapture” as a DJ. While that same 63 3/4 in. × 67 3/4 in. piece is currently considered priceless — it’s part of a private collection — his greatest works have managed to reach upward of $100 million.
My, how times have changed!
Take a look below at some key tips from the experts over at MyArtBroker if you’re curious about putting one up on the wall:
“Basquiat Original Prints – When purchasing a Basquiat print, it’s crucial to understand the distinction between signed (original) and unsigned prints, as well as their respective values. Like his originals, Basquiat’s early prints often feature iconic symbols such as his three-pronged crown, scribbled text, and SAMO tags. Notable examples include 1983 prints “Back Of The Neck,” a large-scale print with hand-colouring, and “Untitled,” featuring white symbols on black. These prints are both signed on the reverse and were created in small editions of 24 and 10, respectively, making them extremely rare and valuable, ranging from £600,000 to £1 million. Due to their scarcity, these works rarely appear on the public market, with private acquisitions being more common–platforms like MyArtBroker can help source these prints outside of peak auction seasons via our live Trading Floor network.
Basquiat Estate Prints – In addition to lifetime prints, collectors are increasingly drawn to Basquiat’s posthumous prints. Released by his estate, these prints are based on some of his most iconic paintings, allowing collectors to acquire works that reflect Basquiat’s legacy without the multi-million-pound price tags of his originals. For instance, “Flexible” was released as a posthumous print in 2016, offering a more affordable option compared to the original while still preserving Basquiat’s striking imagery. The highest-valued posthumous print, a special edition “Flexible (HC),” sold for £221,637 (with fees) at Sotheby’s Singapore in July 2023, highlighting the global demand for Basquiat’s work. The original painting of “Flexible” (1984) fetched £33.5 million in 2018. Recent posthumous print sales have ranged from £40,000 to over £100,000, depending on rarity and market demand.”
Fact-Checking Basquiat
With both the existence of Basquiat, director Julian Schnabel’s well-received 1996 biographical film starring Jeffrey Wright, and the upcoming biopic Samo Lives starring rising actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Mufasa: The Lion King), with Wright also attached — filming began back in September 2025 — we highly recommend watching his story better than we can tell it. Also, good reads that illustrate his story with justice to his overall legacy include TASCHEN’s Jean-Michel Basquiat monograph (2018), Basquiat’s “Defacement”: The Untold Story (2019) and Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation (2020).
Being Basquiat
So there you have it. This is why Basquiat matters. The wild thing about everything you’ve just read is that it doesn’t even scratch the surface of his 27 years of life and the near-four decades of influence he’s had since prematurely transitioning from this Earth.
We miss you tremendously, king. The world feels your loss immensely with every passing year that you should be here. Your legacy simply lives on, SAMO©.
Rest in peace, Jean-Michel Basquiat. Hear his life straight from the man himself through rare interviews below:
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