Vol. 6 Jean Michel Basquiat - BE@RBRICK
Jean-Michel Basquiat was one of the most important artists of the Neo-Expressionist movement. His raw, bold style matched his aptitude for commentary on the social inequalities in America. The Medicom Toy figure, "BE@RBRICK Jean Michel Basquiat Vol. 6 100% & 400% Set," shows off a painting from one of Basquiat’s most prolific years.
Jean-Michel Basquiat and BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
Medicom Toy announced their collaboration with the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat in 2017. As of March 2021, the collaboration has resulted in eight unique designs.
Collaboration Planning and Launch
The first Jean-Michel Basquiat BE@BRICK went on presale in July 2017. In January 2018, entered regular sales for all three sizes. The same design received a super alloy version in January 2019 alongside Keith Haring's first BE@RBRICK. Basquiat's work received two BE@RBRICK figures each year for 2019 and 2020. In December 2020, the first work from Basquiat’s collaboration with Warhol became BE@RBRICK figures with more designs planned to follow.
BE@RBRICK Jean Michel Basquiat Vol. 6 100% & 400% Set
This BE@RBRICK figure from Medicom Toy features one of Basquiat's Untitled works from what critics consider his most valuable year. The original painting features his popular motif of skulls and heads. Basquiat's rough line work and visceral portrayal of human anatomy instill the painting with raw emotion. His trademark three-pointed crown adorns the head, marking the artist's and the subject's significance. The painting's imagery repeats on the body of each figure, creating a haphazard collage similar to Basquiat's traditional composition style. Both figures feature Basquiat's signature on the back, accented with a crown.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK Jean Michel Basquiat Vol. 6 100% & 400% Set
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Set of 2 painted and articulated plastic figures
- Height (Approx.):
100%: 70 mm | 2.8"
400%: 280 mm | 11"
About Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist who pioneered the Neo-Expressionist movement. Basquiat was of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent and often highlighted issues of racial disparity in his work. He first gained attention as a graffiti artist in New York City during the late 1970s under the name SAMO. As SAMO, Basquiat developed his trademark tag, the three-pointed crown.
Basquiat entered the gallery scene in 1980, selling his first painting to Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry. 1982 is retroactively considered his most valuable year, as most of his highest-selling works were created that year. Basquiat was an active member of the New York Lower East Side creative scene. He had a high-profile friendship with artist Andy Warhol that defined the late years of both artists' careers. Basquiat died of an overdose in 1988.
About Untitled (1982)
Basquiat's untitled work depicting a large black skull, painted in 1982, is one of his most famous works. The skull is composed of rough, black brushstrokes accented with yellow and red. It represents Basquiat's classic visceral imagery that defined his career. Skulls and heads became a recurring theme in Basquiat's work. Some scholars believe it references his Haitian heritage as a form of cultural reclamation. Others point to his childhood exposure to the book Gray's Anatomy and his fascination with graphic human form. The painting sold for a record-breaking $110 million in an auction in 2017. It was the first painting made after 1980 to sell for over $100 million and it's one of the highest-selling American paintings of all time.
Other Important Artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Basquiat's work confronted the social climate of America in the 1980s by challenging and leaning into stereotypes.
Crown
Basquiat's Crown motif served as both a tag for the artist and a recurring theme. He created the symbol as an identification mark during his days as a graffiti artist, SAMO. Crowns frequently appeared in Basquiat's work to mark his own ambition and power within his art. The Crown received its own painting in 1983. Its solo painting is an ink and acrylic drawing overlaying a collage background. The images in the background come from Basquiat's own collection of drawings and lists, a common theme in his artwork.
Hollywood Africans
Hollywood Africans is one of Basquiat's paintings that confront the stereotypical representations of African Americans in the entertainment industry. The painting is a self-portrait of Basquiat and his friends, fellow artists Toxic and Rammellzee. Basquiat completed the painting as a result of a trip to Los Angeles for a showing. He and his friends identified themselves as "the Hollywood Africans" reflecting on stereotypes that began during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Text in the background like "SUGAR CANE" and "GANGSTERISM" highlight Basquiat's range of criticisms.
Riding With Death
Riding with Death is one of Basquiat's final paintings completed before his own death in 1988. The painting depicts a dark-skinned figure riding a skeleton on all fours. With disconnected joints, the skeleton faces forward and seems to stare at the viewer with crossed-out eyes. The figure on top appears to be partially decomposing. Basquiat seems to be playing into critics' description of his work as "primitive" by referencing cave paintings in his composition. The work's disturbing quality is enhanced by Basquiat's death soon after, giving it a foreboding quality.
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BE@RBRICK Jean Michel Basquiat Vol. 6 100% & 400% Set
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