Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), who emerged from New York’s avant-garde scene to become one of the most famous artists of the contemporary era, will be the focus of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi’s special programme of events next month.
Organised by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the events at Louvre Abu Dhabi and Manarat Al Saadiyat will include a talk and film screening to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Basquiat’s debut in the art world, and the showing of his painting Cabra (1981-82) which was acquired by Guggenheim Abu Dhabi in 2017.
On April 17, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi will host the event ‘In Conversation with Basquiat’s Friends’, where the artist’s close collaborators and friends Jeffrey Deitch and Leonard ‘Futura’ Hilton McGurr will share and reflect upon their personal experiences of the artist. Moderated by Basquiat scholar Chaédria LaBouvier, the conversation will also examine Basquiat’s artistic legacy and how his work intermingled with underground music, performance and street art. The event at Louvre Abu Dhabi Auditorium will include a 20-minute version of the film Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, which was featured at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
On April 18, a Canal Zone Party Remix will take place at Gallery M at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The event will celebrate the original Canal Zone Party in New York City held on 29 April 1979, the pivotal moment when Basquiat made his debut in the art world. An evening of music, dance, and art inspired by Basquiat, the Manarat Al Saadiyat event will be a nod to Manhattan’s downtown club scene where the underground culture and avant-garde artists and musicians co-mingled in places like the Mudd Club, a venue where Basquiat performed experimental music with his band Gray. Party-goers at Manarat Al Saadiyat will hear DJs spinning early hip hop, punk, and “no wave” music mixed with contemporary underground tunes, while enjoying art installations, video projections, and the work of contemporary Emirati graffiti artists.
The painting Cabra, which was created by Basquiat in 1981-82, is currently on show at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Inspired by US boxer Muhammad Ali’s 1970 knockout of Argentine heavyweight Oscar Bonavena, it shows a bull’s skull on a deep red background, hovering above a boxing ring and with hieroglyphs above spelling out TKO, technical knockout. Cabra is Spanish for “goat” and the title is a reference to Ali’s nickname, GOAT or Greatest Of All Time. Ali was one of Basquiat’s heroes, and the work serves as an homage not only to Muhammad Ali but also to the power of black athletes and the significance they held for black youth everywhere.
“We are thrilled to be able to celebrate the work and life of such a pivotal figure in the history of contemporary art with this multi-faceted event,” said Maisa Al Qassimi, Senior Project Manager at Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. “Basquiat is one of the most influential figures of our time and so to be highlighting his career in this way shows Abu Dhabi’s commitment to promoting cross-cultural dialogue and to bringing the very best and challenging works to the community in the emirate.
“We hope the event will prove an inspiration to local artists and the public at large, as well as marking another stride forward for Abu Dhabi’s cultural growth and artistic development.”
In his short life, Basquiat broke through barriers in the art establishment to become a young celebrity in the rising East Village art scene of the 1980s. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1960 to a Haitian father and Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat encountered family problems, including his parents’ separation and his mother’s mental illness. He left home at 17, living on the streets and exploring graffiti art with friends Al Diaz and ‘Futura’. Together, Basquiat and Al Diaz created SAMO©, a tag they used for their works – painted messages on the walls of the New York City subway system or in neighbourhoods like the East Village and SoHo. At the age of 20, Basquiat participated in his first formal exhibition, The Times Square Show (1980), launching his spectacular rise. With the limelight on him, the charismatic Basquiat began collaborating with Andy Warhol, but he struggled with personal troubles, which led to his untimely death at 27, in 1988. Today, he is one of the most influential and revered artists of his generation, with his infusion of painting and graffiti-based practices continuing to inspire.
