New Flame Andy Warhol & Jean-Michel Basquiat - BE@RBRICK
Medicom Toy's impressive collection of artist collaborations includes work from some of the 20th century's foremost artists. The number of figures representing Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat increased, eventually including their collaborative paintings. The painting New Flame serves as their collaborative BE@RBRICK debut, as seen in the figure "BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol × Jean-Michel Basquiat Vol. 1 100% & 400% Set."
Andy Warhol x Jean-Michel Basquiat and BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
Medicom Toy began collaborations with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat separately. Reproduction of works from their collaboration involves approval from both legal parties.
Collaboration Planning and Launch
The first BE@BRICK and Andy Warhol collaboration began in 2014 with a commemorative fourth design in 2016. These figures included representations of the artist himself, not his artwork. BE@RBRICK's collaboration with the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat began in 2017 with a replica of his art. The Warhol collaboration would not introduce any of the artist's paintings to BE@RBRICK figures until 2019. New Flame is the first of the Warhol and Basquait collaborations to find representation in the BE@RBRICK line.
BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol × Jean-Michel Basquiat Vol. 1 100% & 400% Set
This figure set gives art fans two unique canvases to display the work of two influential figures in modern art. Both BE@RBRICKs show imagery from the painting New Flame by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Given the painting's horizontal composition, distinct sections have been reproduced on the figures in a pattern-like format. The larger bear features the abstract torch and stark black background on the left half of the painting. The torso shows the right side of the painting, with the collection of three coin heads. Both sections display all three instances of "New Flame" written on the painting, now alternated with images in a vertical style.
The smaller bear appears more abstract as the painting scale is larger than that on the 400% figure. Both figures feature the artists' signatures on the back, Warhol's accompanied by his portrait and Basquiat's by his iconic crown. The figure also comes in a 1000% size with a more horizontal representation of the painting's design.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol × Jean-Michel Basquiat Vol. 1 100% & 400% Set
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Set of 2 painted, articulated, non-scale figures with water transfer printing
- Set Contents:
100%: 70mm | 2.8"
400%: 280mm | 11"
About Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat
Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat had an unexpected, turbulent friendship that captivated the art world. The two met in 1982 after Basquiat started hanging around Warhol's studio, The Factory. Shortly after, they began working on collaborations together. Warhol benefitted from Basquiat's fresh new perspective and a shot of relevance. Basquait got access to a wider audience and credibility through Warhol's reputation. However, their friendship proved to be deep and genuine as much as it was beneficial. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when their collaboration gallery debut received negative reviews. Warhol and Basquiat were still not on speaking terms upon Warhol's death in 1987. Those close to Basquiat said he struggled with the lack of resolution until his untimely death in 1988.
About New Flame
Overall, Warhol and Basquiat's body of collaborative work received negative attention. However, New Flame is widely regarded as the most representative melding of their distinct styles. The painting itself was completed as a form of physical dialogue. First, Warhol painted a recognizable icon from everyday life. Next, Basquiat would alter the image with improvisational brush strokes. The central image of the painting, the Statue of Liberty's torch, is both visually obscured yet repeatedly referenced in each artists' style. Basquiat paints the title "New Flame" three times in straightforward reference. Warhol uses the image of an 1886 silver dollar, the mint year referring to the year the Statue of Liberty was constructed. As of 2021, the painting last sold in an auction for over £2.2.
Other Important Artwork from Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat
The short-lived collaboration between Warhol and Basquiat resulted in numerous paintings filled with artistic experimentation. Some of these works, like New Flame, represented the best of their relationship in retrospect. Others, like the aptly named Problems, are used in reference to their rockier fallout.
Olympic Rings
Olympic Rings depicts the iconic five rings representing the Olympic Games as the main subject matter. Warhol's use of repetition meets a stylistic devolution as Basquiat's abstract paint style emerges. The two completed the work in response to the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Warhol began painting color variations of the Rings in various sizes around the horizontal canvas. Basquiat contributed to Warhol's initial composition by filling in blank spaces with dynamic black lines. At the center of the painting is a stark black face, positioned like a linking medallion in the Rings. The face pays tribute to the many star African American athletes from Olympic history.
Paramount
Paramount, while praised today, represents the art produced by Warhol and Basquiat clashing rather than harmonizing. Warhol once commented how Basquiat had a tendency to suddenly "[paint] over a painting [he] did" and he wasn't sure if the quality improved or not. Basquiat said their collaboration process was sometimes him "defacing" something concrete that Warhol painted. In Paramount, the Paramount Pictures logo, cleanly painted in Warhol's style, peeks through Basquiat's image collage. The final image depicts a loud, busy image without a cohesive design.
Links
BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol × Jean-Michel Basquiat Vol. 1 100% & 400% Set
BE@RBRICK Andy Warhol × Jean-Michel Basquiat Vol. 1 1000%
BE@RBRICK Series
BE@BRICK Label
Andy Warhol Label
Jean-Michel Basquiat Label