Located right next to the Smithsonian Castle, which is home to some amazing historical records, is a lesser known, contemporary art museum called the Hirshhorn. Some of the most unique art pieces go on display temporarily, though some exhibits are permanent. While walking around the museum, I recognized a name on one of their featured exhibits: Jean-Michel Basquiat. Most well known right now for his fan base of carhartt-wearing, indie guys on social media, Basquiat was a young artist who produced some of his most famous pieces in the 1980s.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1960, Basquiat started his artistic career as a young adult in a graffiti tag duo called SAMO (same-oh) but later branched off and transitioned to a neo-expressionist style in the early 1980s. One of his most recognizable symbols in his work is a three-pronged crown. Some say it represents his confidence as an artist, almost as if he doesn’t need the public to crown him, he’s already done it himself. In 1988, Jean-Michel Basquiat passed away due to a heroin overdose, but his artwork’s fame lived on.
In the Hirshhorn’s small exhibit, a vibrant orange wall welcomes viewers to a relatively bare room. In the main room, there’s one piece by Basquiat and one by Banksy. The title of the exhibit proved to be a bit misleading, as I was expecting to see a collaborative piece. Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing both works.
Basquiat’s piece Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump sat front and center in the dimly lit room. I really liked the way the lighting was set up to focus solely on the artworks because it made the bright colors Basquiat used stand out. After staring for a couple minutes and getting close enough to see the brushstrokes, I walked into the next room, which was much brighter. There, they had some of his sketches on display, showing what his artistic process was like. Though it was far less impressive than the massive painting from the other room, it was really interesting to see the inner workings of the creative process. I never think about how much thought can go behind a piece, so seeing the more basic, messy sketches gave some insight to that.
And just like that, it was over. To the right of the exit was the gift shop, which had some awesome finds in it and I would definitely recommend checking it out if your pockets are deep (those prices were not so awesome.) Overall, I would rate the exhibit itself a 6/10 because I think the entrance hyped it up a little bit too much. However, I will say that it made me curious about looking into Basquiat’s history and I learned that he had a very interesting life.
While doing some research after visiting the exhibit, I learned that he was in a relationship with Madonna for a brief time, though they received massive amounts of press during this time which made it seem like it was a long-term thing. The two decided to split in order to focus on their professional careers, as Madonna had a big album coming out and Basquiat had just begun collaborating with his idol, Andy Warhol.
In his collaboration with Warhol, they combined their two distinct art styles in a perfectly balanced way. The two became very close friends in the early 1980s and at one point, Warhol was Basquiat’s landlord, taking care of his loft in Manhattan. Reporters describe the two’s friendship as symbiotic, speculating about the nature of the pair’s relationship. While many say they were just pals, some say that they were lovers. After all, Warhol was his landlord and you know what historians say about roommates.
If you’re looking for a quick activity in DC or a rabbit hole to fall into, I would highly recommend visiting the Basquiat x Banksy exhibit at the Hirshhorn while it’s still on display.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Basquiat
https://www.dazeddigital.com/art-photography/article/37058/1/al-diaz-on-samo-and-basquiat
https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-jean-michel-basquiat/guides/basquiat-symbols-meanings-guide
https://www.si.edu/exhibitions/basquiat-x-banksy%3Aevent-exhib-6757
