Misplaced Pages

#903096

104-460: Jean-Michel Basquiat ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ miʃɛl baskja] ; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti duo SAMO , alongside Al Diaz , writing enigmatic epigrams all over Manhattan , particularly in

208-404: A buffer zone to Native Americans outside the settlement. In 1643, a group of "half-freed" slaves and elders such as Domingo Anthony, Manuel Trumpeter and Catalina Anthony, received land grants to build and maintain farms in the areas containing and surrounding Washington Square Park. The families who received the land were no longer slaves, but had to give a portion of the profits they received from

312-684: A friendship and he made regular appearances on the show over the next few years. Eventually, he began spending time writing graffiti around the School of Visual Arts , where he befriended students John Sex , Kenny Scharf , and Keith Haring . In April 1979, Basquiat met Michael Holman at the Canal Zone Party and they founded the noise rock band Test Pattern, which was later renamed Gray . Other members of Gray included Shannon Dawson, Nick Taylor, Wayne Clifford and Vincent Gallo . They performed at nightclubs such as Max's Kansas City , CBGB , Hurrah and

416-469: A gravestone dated to 1803 were uncovered 10 feet (3.0 m) below ground level. The first fountain next to the arch was completed in 1852 and replaced in 1872. In 1851, it was described as having "a very large circular basin, with a central jet and several side jets." A story on the completion of the fountain appeared in the first edition of the New-York Daily Times , which would eventually become

520-505: A hero. He frequently referenced Parker and other jazz musicians in paintings such as Charles the First (1982) and Horn Players (1983), and King Zulu (1986). "Basquiat looked to jazz music for inspiration and for instruction, much in the same way that he looked to the modern masters of painting," said art historian Jordana Moore Saggese. In his exploration of death and marginalization, Basquiat’s portrayal of dismembered black bodies serves as

624-403: A hygienic measure. A legend in many tourist guides says that the large elm at the northwest corner of the park, Hangman's Elm , was the old hanging tree. However, research indicates the tree was on the side of the former Minetta Creek that was the back garden of a private house. Records of only one public hanging at the potter's field exist. Two eyewitnesses to the recorded hanging differed on

728-459: A junior member of the Brooklyn Museum of Art . Basquiat was a precocious child who learned to read and write by the age of four. His mother encouraged her son's artistic talent and he often tried to draw his favorite cartoons. In 1967, he started attending Saint Ann's School , a private school. There he met his friend Marc Prozzo and together they created a children's book, written by Basquiat at

832-896: A lot of fun. But then one day Jean-Michel said, 'My girlfriend is coming to stay with me.' ... So I said, 'Well, what's she like?' And he said, 'Her name is Madonna and she's going to be huge .' I'll never forget that he said that." Basquiat took considerable interest in the work that artist Robert Rauschenberg was producing at Gemini G.E.L. in West Hollywood. He visited him on several occasions and found inspiration in his accomplishments. While in Los Angeles, Basquiat painted Hollywood Africans (1983), which portrays him with graffiti artists Toxic and Rammellzee . He often painted portraits of other graffiti artists—and sometimes collaborators—in works such as Portrait of A-One A.K.A. King (1982), Toxic (1984), and ERO (1984). In 1983, he produced

936-732: A multi-artist exhibition sponsored by Collaborative Projects Incorporated (Colab) and Fashion Moda . He was noticed by various critics and curators, including Jeffrey Deitch , who mentioned him in an article titled "Report from Times Square" in the September 1980 issue of Art in America . In February 1981, Basquiat participated in the New York/New Wave exhibition, curated by Diego Cortez at New York's P.S.1 . Italian artist Sandro Chia recommended Basquiat's work to Italian dealer Emilio Mazzoli, who promptly bought 10 paintings for Basquiat to have

1040-428: A one-man show at his Zurich gallery in September 1982, and arranged for him to meet Warhol for lunch on October 4, 1982. Warhol recalled, "I took a Polaroid and he went home and within two hours a painting was back, still wet, of him and me together." The painting, Dos Cabezas (1982), ignited a friendship between them. Basquiat was photographed by James Van Der Zee for an interview with Henry Geldzahler published in

1144-504: A painter began, Basquiat produced punk-inspired postcards for sale on the street, and became known for his political–poetical graffiti under the name of SAMO. He often drew on random objects and surfaces, including other people's clothing. The conjunction of various media is an integral element of his art. His paintings are typically covered with codes of all kinds: words, letters, numerals, pictograms, logos, map symbols, and diagrams. Basquiat primarily used texts as reference sources. A few of

SECTION 10

#1732844452904

1248-566: A part of his expression as an artist. He drew in many different media, most commonly ink, pencil, felt-tip or marker, and oil-stick. He sometimes used Xerox copies of fragments of his drawings to paste onto the canvases of larger paintings. The first public showing of Basquiat's paintings and drawings was in 1981 at the MoMA PS1 New York/New Wave exhibition. Rene Ricard's article "Radiant Child" in Artforum magazine brought Basquiat to

1352-540: A postcard titled Stupid Games, Bad Ideas . In October 1979, at Arleen Schloss 's open space called A's, Basquiat showed his SAMO montages using color Xerox copies of his works. Schloss allowed Basquiat to use the space to create his "MAN MADE" clothing, which were painted upcycled garments. In November 1979, costume designer Patricia Field carried his clothing line in her upscale boutique on 8th Street in Greenwich Village . Field also displayed his sculptures in

1456-411: A radical commentary on the trauma of displacement and the alienation experienced by African Americans. His depiction of anatomical parts, such as exposed internal organs and skeletal structures, mirrors the violent fragmentation of black identity under systemic racism. Basquiat’s repeated use of skulls and corpses underscores the existential anxiety of blackness in a society that dehumanizes and objectifies

1560-403: A redevelopment of the park, a skating rink and bandshell would have been reconstructed. Later that year, a committee was organized to appoint a landscape architect for a $ 800,000 renovation of Washington Square Park. The city studied a plan to add a fence around Washington Square Park in 1973. Four pedestrians were killed in a car crash at the park in 1992, prompting NYU to suggest closing

1664-487: A resolution to re-appropriate an old potter's field into a military parade ground," and the city bought the land west of Minetta Creek, the square was laid out and leveled, and it was turned into the Washington Military Parade Ground. Military parade grounds were public spaces specified by the city where volunteer militia companies responsible for the nation's defense would train. The streets surrounding

1768-461: A retrospective of his artwork in 1992. Basquiat's art focused on dichotomies such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. He appropriated poetry, drawing, and painting, and married text and image, abstraction , figuration , and historical information mixed with contemporary critique. He used social commentary in his paintings as a tool for introspection and for identifying with his experiences in

1872-542: A show at his gallery in Modena , Italy in May 1981. In December 1981, art critic Rene Ricard published "The Radiant Child" in Artforum magazine, the first extensive article on Basquiat. During this period, Basquiat painted many pieces on objects he found in the streets, such as discarded doors. Basquiat sold his first painting, Cadillac Moon (1981), to Debbie Harry , lead singer of

1976-567: A show of his work at her friend's New York apartment in April 1983. Shortly after, he began a relationship with Powell, who was instrumental in fostering his friendship with Warhol. In August 1983, Basquiat moved into a loft owned by Warhol at 57 Great Jones Street in NoHo, which also served as a studio. In the summer of 1983, Basquiat invited Lee Jaffe , a former musician in Bob Marley 's band, to join him on

2080-615: A teenager. He ran away from home at 15 when his father caught him smoking cannabis in his room. He slept on park benches at Washington Square Park and took LSD . Eventually, his father spotted him with a shaved head and called the police to bring him home. In the 10th grade , he enrolled at City-As-School , an alternative high school in Manhattan, home to many artistic students who found conventional schooling difficult. He would skip school with his friends, but still received encouragement from his teachers, and began to write and illustrate for

2184-449: A trip throughout Asia and Europe. On his return to New York, he was deeply affected by the death of Michael Stewart , an aspiring black artist in the downtown club scene who was killed by transit police in September 1983. He painted Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart) (1983) in response to the incident. He also participated in a Christmas benefit with various New York artists for the family of Michael Stewart in 1983. Having joined

SECTION 20

#1732844452904

2288-567: A wading pool. In 1952, Moses finalized plans to extend 5th Avenue through the park. He intended to eventually push it through the neighborhood south of the park, as part of an urban renewal project. Area residents, including Eleanor Roosevelt , opposed the plans. The urbanist Jane Jacobs became an activist and is credited with stopping the Moses plan and closing Washington Square Park to all auto traffic, but Jacobs, in her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities , praised another local advocate in

2392-532: A word written within the drawing is commonly in parentheses after Untitled . After Basquiat died, his estate was controlled by his father Gérard Basquiat, who also oversaw the committee that authenticated artworks, and operated from 1994 to 2012 to review over 2000 works, the majority of which were drawings. A prominent theme in Basquiat's work is the portrayal of historically prominent black figures, who were identified as heroes and saints. His early works often featured

2496-696: Is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks). The park is an open space, dominated by the Washington Square Arch at the northern gateway to the park, with a tradition of celebrating nonconformity. The park's fountain area has long been one of the city's popular spots, and many of the local buildings have at one time served as homes and studios for artists. Many buildings have been built by New York University , while others have been converted from their former uses into academic and residential buildings. Located at

2600-457: The New York Times . The statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi was unveiled in 1888. In 1918, two statues of George Washington were added to the north side. Robert Moses became the parks commissioner in 1934. He embarked on a crusade to fully redesign the park, and local activists began an opposing fight that lasted three decades. In 1934, Robert Moses had the fountain renovated to also serve as

2704-556: The Bay Area Figurative School of the 1950s and 1960s, the continuation of Abstract Expressionism , precedents in Pop Painting , and New Image Painting: a vague late 1970s term applied to painters who employed a strident figurative style with cartoon-like imagery and abrasive handling owing something to neo-expressionism. The New Image Painting term was given currency by a 1978 exhibition entitled New Image Painting held at

2808-470: The Bilbao Guggenheim , Art Daily noted that "Basquiat's crown is a changeable symbol: at times a halo and at others a crown of thorns, emphasizing the martyrdom that often goes hand in hand with sainthood. For Basquiat, these heroes and saints are warriors, occasionally rendered triumphant with arms raised in victory." Basquiat was particularly a fan of bebop and cited saxophonist Charlie Parker as

2912-565: The Common Council of New York purchased the fields to the east of the Minetta (which were not yet within city limits) for a new potter's field , or public burial ground. It was used mainly for burying unknown or indigent people when they died. But when New York (which did not include this area yet) went through yellow fever epidemics in the early 19th century, most of those who died from yellow fever were also buried here, safely away from town, as

3016-588: The Mary Boone 's SoHo gallery in 1983, Basquiat had his first show there in May 1984. A large number of photographs depict a collaboration between Warhol and Basquiat in 1984 and 1985. When they collaborated, Warhol would start with something very concrete or a recognizable image and then Basquiat defaced it in his animated style. They made an homage to the 1984 Summer Olympics with Olympics (1984). Other collaborations include Taxi, 45th/Broadway (1984–85) and Zenith (1985). Their joint exhibition, Paintings , at

3120-690: The Mudd Club . Around this time, Basquiat lived in the East Village with his friend Alexis Adler, a Barnard biology graduate. He often copied diagrams of chemical compounds borrowed from Adler's science textbooks. She documented Basquiat's creative explorations as he transformed the floors, walls, doors and furniture into his artworks. He also made postcards with his friend Jennifer Stein. While selling postcards in SoHo, Basquiat spotted Andy Warhol at W.P.A. restaurant with art critic Henry Geldzahler . He sold Warhol

3224-665: The Tony Shafrazi Gallery, caused a rift in their friendship after it was panned by critics, and Basquiat was called Warhol's "mascot". Basquiat often painted in expensive Armani suits and would appear in public in the same paint-splattered clothes. He was a regular at the Area nightclub, where he sometimes worked the turntables as a DJ for fun. He also painted murals for the Palladium nightclub in New York City. His swift rise to fame

Jean-Michel Basquiat - Misplaced Pages Continue

3328-607: The Whisky a Go Go and Tail o' the Pup with his friend artist George Condo . There, he commenced a series of paintings for a March 1983 show, his second at the Gagosian Gallery in West Hollywood . He was accompanied by his girlfriend, then-unknown singer Madonna . Gagosian recalled: "Everything was going along fine. Jean-Michel was making paintings, I was selling them, and we were having

3432-514: The Whitney Museum . Neo-expressionism dominated the art market until the mid-1980s. The style emerged internationally and was viewed by many critics, such as Achille Bonito Oliva and Donald Kuspit , as a revival of traditional themes of self-expression in European art after decades of American dominance. The social and economic value of the movement was hotly debated. From the point of view of

3536-882: The Yvon Lambert Gallery and to Düsseldorf for an exhibition at the Hans Mayer Gallery. While in Paris, he befriended Ivorian artist Ouattara Watts . They made plans to travel together to Watts' birthplace, Korhogo , that summer. Following his exhibition at the Vrej Baghoomian Gallery in New York in April 1988, Basquiat traveled to Maui in June to withdraw from drug use. After returning to New York in July, Basquiat ran into Keith Haring on Broadway, who stated that this last encounter

3640-720: The backlash against feminism , anti-intellectualism , and a return to mythic subjects and individualist methods they deemed outmoded. Women were notoriously marginalized in the movement, and painters such as Elizabeth Murray and Maria Lassnig were omitted from many of its key exhibitions, most notoriously the 1981 New Spirit in Painting exhibition in London which included 38 male painters but no female painters. The movement became known as Transavanguardia in Italy and Neue Wilden in Germany, and

3744-520: The classical tradition . Art historian Fred Hoffman hypothesizes that the underlying of Basquiat's self-identification as an artist was his "innate capacity to function as something like an oracle , distilling his perceptions of the outside world down to their essence and, in turn, projecting them outward through his creative act", and that his art focused on recurrent "suggestive dichotomies" such as wealth versus poverty, integration versus segregation, and inner versus outer experience. Before his career as

3848-505: The Centennial Parade of Washington's Inauguration. The temporary plaster and wood arch was so popular that in 1892, a permanent Tuckahoe marble arch, designed by the New York architect Stanford White , was erected, standing 77 feet (23 m) and modeled after the Arc de Triomphe , built in Paris in 1806. During the excavations for the eastern part of the arch, human remains, a coffin, and

3952-635: The Folklore Center—who had been trying to get permits for the folksingers—and about 500 musicians and supporters gathered in the park and sang songs without a permit, then held a procession from the park through the arch at Fifth Avenue, and marched to the Judson Memorial Church on the other side of the park. At about the time the musicians and friends reached the church, the New York City Police Department Riot Squad

4056-507: The Greenwich Village Community Planning Board, a local resident and mother of four sons, started a public outcry for the park in 1952 when a large, modern apartment building was constructed on the northwest corner of Washington Square North and Fifth Avenue. When then-Manhattan borough president Hulan E. Jack suggested an elevated pedestrian walkway over a four-lane road through the park, Ms. Hayes initiated "Save

4160-646: The January 1983 issue of Warhol's Interview magazine. In November 1982, Basquiat's solo exhibition opened at the Fun Gallery in the East Village. Among the works exhibited were A Panel of Experts (1982) and Equals Pi (1982). In early December 1982, Basquiat began working at the Market Street studio space art dealer Larry Gagosian had built below his Venice Beach , California home. In Los Angeles, he frequented

4264-550: The Square!", a seven-year battle to keep automobiles out of the quiet area. Though several different proposals were given for a roadway in the park, Hayes and her followers rejected them all. Seeking to "best serve the needs of children and adults of this family community," Hayes in turn presented her own proposal: 1.75 acres (700 m ) of roadway would be converted to parkland, a paved area would be created for emergency access only, and all other vehicles would be permanently banned from

Jean-Michel Basquiat - Misplaced Pages Continue

4368-429: The age of seven and illustrated by Prozzo. In 1968, at the age of seven, Basquiat was hit by a car while playing in the street. His arm was broken and he suffered several internal injuries, which required a splenectomy . While he was hospitalized, his mother brought him a copy of Gray's Anatomy to keep him occupied. After his parents separated that year, Basquiat and his sisters were raised by their father. His mother

4472-501: The attention of the art world. Basquiat immortalized Ricard in two drawings, Untitled (Axe/Rene) (1984) and René Ricard (1984). A poet as well as an artist, words featured heavily in his drawings and paintings, with direct references to racism, slavery, the people and street scene of 1980s New York, black historical figures, famous musicians, and athletes, as his notebooks and many important drawings demonstrate. Often Basquiat's drawings were untitled, and as such, to differentiate works,

4576-544: The black body. A major reference source used by Basquiat throughout his career was the book Gray's Anatomy , which his mother had given him while he was in the hospital when he was seven. It remained influential in his depictions of human anatomy , and in its mixture of image and text as seen in Flesh and Spirit (1982–83). Art historian Olivier Berggruen situates in Basquiat's anatomical screen prints Anatomy (1982) an assertion of vulnerability, one which "creates an aesthetic of

4680-516: The black community, as well as attacks on power structures and systems of racism. Since his death at the age of 27 in 1988, Basquiat's work has steadily increased in value. In 2017, Untitled , a 1982 painting depicting a black skull with red and yellow rivulets, sold for a record-breaking $ 110.5 million, becoming one of the most expensive paintings ever purchased. Basquiat was born on December 22, 1960, in Park Slope , Brooklyn , New York City,

4784-475: The body as damaged, scarred, fragmented, incomplete, or torn apart, once the organic whole has disappeared. Paradoxically, it is the very act of creating these representations that conjures a positive corporeal valence between the artist and his sense of self or identity." Neo-expressionism Neo-expressionism developed as a reaction against conceptual art and minimal art of the 1970s. Neo-expressionists returned to portraying recognizable objects, such as

4888-488: The books he used were Gray's Anatomy , Henry Dreyfuss' Symbol Sourcebook , Leonardo da Vinci published by Reynal & Company, and Burchard Brentjes' African Rock Art , Flash of the Spirit by Robert Farris Thompson . A middle period from late 1982 to 1985 featured multi-panel paintings and individual canvases with exposed stretcher bars, the surface dense with writing, collage and imagery. The years 1984 to 1985 were also

4992-547: The community, especially considering that the Parks Department orchestrated the naming without consulting the City Council. In December 2007, NYC Parks began construction on a project to redesign and refurbish Washington Square Park, which at the time was projected to cost $ 16 million. Changes to the park included moving the fountain off center to improve its visual alignment with the arch when viewed from above, replacing

5096-660: The cultural hotbed of the Lower East Side where rap , punk , and street art coalesced into early hip-hop culture. By the early 1980s, his paintings were being exhibited in galleries and museums internationally. At 21, Basquiat became the youngest artist to ever take part in Documenta in Kassel , Germany. At 22, he became one of the youngest to exhibit at the Whitney Biennial in New York. The Whitney Museum of American Art held

5200-422: The eastern half of the park was reopened to the public, leaving only the park's southwest corner under construction. In mid-August 2012, the new granite benches heated up to 125 °F (52 °C) in the sun, seemingly vindicating community members who had charged that the renovations were primarily to discourage public use of the park. The entire renovation was completed in 2014 for $ 30.6 million. In July 2020,

5304-527: The environmental review of the renovation project were heard in 2007 by the New York County Supreme Court, then dismissed. Upon the completion of phase one of the park's renovation on May 22, 2009, the Coalition for a Better Washington Square Park, a private organization, began raising money to "hire off-duty cops and maintenance workers to patrol the park" by the summer of 2010. On June 2, 2011,

SECTION 50

#1732844452904

5408-483: The fight against park traffic, Shirley Hayes: "Hayes and the Washington Square Park Committee advocated eliminating the existing road, that is, closing the park to all automobile traffic – but at the same time, not widening the perimeter roads either. In short, they proposed closing off a roadbed without compensating for it." Hayes, former chairman of the Washington Square Park Committee and member of

5512-435: The foot of Fifth Avenue , the park is bordered by Washington Square North (known as Waverly Place east and west of the park), Washington Square East (known as University Place north of the park), Washington Square South (known as West 4th Street east and west of the park), and Washington Square West (known as MacDougal Street north and south of the park). While the park contains many flower beds and trees, little of

5616-583: The fountain or fountain plaza area, pending further review of the plans by the local community board, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission , and the Art Commission, stating that NYC Parks had intentionally misrepresented the project in a scheme to secure its approval. The ruling was reversed on appeal. Another lawsuit challenging the art commission's approval of the plan was dismissed. Two more lawsuits questioning

5720-486: The group Figuration Libre was formed in France in 1981. In Toronto, the group known as ChromaZone/Chromatique Collective was formed in 1981 and existed till 1986. Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a 9.75-acre (3.95 ha) public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan , New York City. It is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. The park

5824-473: The hip-hop record " Beat Bop " featuring Rammellzee and rapper K-Rob . It was pressed in limited quantities on his Tartown Inc. imprint. He created the cover art for the single, making it highly desirable among both record and art collectors. In March 1983, at 22 years old, Basquiat became one of the youngest artists to participate in the Whitney Biennial exhibition of contemporary art . Paige Powell , an associate publisher for Interview magazine, organized

5928-451: The history of Modern Art , art critic Robert Hughes dismissed Neo-Expressionist painting as retrograde, as a failure of radical imagination, and as a lamentable capitulation to the art market . Critics such as Benjamin Buchloh , Hal Foster , Craig Owens , and Mira Schor were highly critical of its relation to the marketability of painting on the rapidly expanding art market, celebrity,

6032-473: The human body (although sometimes in an abstract manner), in a rough and violently emotional way, often using vivid colors. It was overtly inspired by German Expressionist painters, such as Emil Nolde , Max Beckmann , George Grosz , Ernst Ludwig Kirchner , James Ensor and Edvard Munch . It is also related to American Lyrical Abstraction painting of the 1960s and 1970s, The Hairy Who movement in Chicago,

6136-407: The iconographic depiction of crowns and halos to distinguish heroes and saints in his specially chosen pantheon. "Jean-Michel's crown has three peaks, for his three royal lineages: the poet, the musician, the great boxing champion. Jean measured his skill against all he deemed strong, without prejudice as to their taste or age," said his friend and artist Francesco Clemente. Reviewing Basquiat's show at

6240-557: The insurrectionist forces in Italy's struggle for unification; and Alexander Lyman Holley , a talented engineer who helped start the American steel industry after the invention of the Bessemer process for mass-producing steel. The New York City Police Department operates security cameras in the park. The area has a low crime rate in the "safest big city in the United States." The land

6344-565: The land to the Dutch West India Company and pay annual land fees. Their children would be born as slaves, rather than free. The area became the core of an early African American community in New York, then called the Land of the Blacks and later "Little Africa". Among those who owned parcels in what is now Washington Square Park was Paulo D'Angola. It remained farmland until April 1797, when

SECTION 60

#1732844452904

6448-867: The last 18 months of his life, Basquiat became something of a recluse. His continued drug use is thought to have been a way of coping after the death of his friend Andy Warhol in February 1987. In 1987, Basquiat had exhibitions at Galerie Daniel Templon in Paris, the Akira Ikeda Gallery in Tokyo, and the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York. He designed a Ferris wheel for André Heller 's Luna Luna , an ephemeral amusement park in Hamburg from June to August 1987 with rides designed by renowned contemporary artists. In January 1988, Basquiat traveled to Paris for his exhibition at

6552-439: The late artist, Keith Haring created the painting A Pile of Crowns for Jean-Michel Basquiat . In the obituary Haring wrote for Vogue , he stated: "He truly created a lifetime of works in ten years. Greedily, we wonder what else he might have created, what masterpieces we have been cheated out of by his death, but the fact is that he has created enough work to intrigue generations to come. Only now will people begin to understand

6656-431: The location of the gallows. One said it had been put up at a spot where the fountain was prior to 2007 park redesign. Others placed the gallows closer to where the arch is now. However, the cemetery was closed in 1825. To this day, the remains of more than 20,000 bodies rest under Washington Square. Excavations have found tombstones under the park dating as far back as 1799. In 1826, Alderman Abraham Valentine "introduced

6760-419: The magnitude of his contribution." Basquiat's canon revolves around single heroic figures: athletes, prophets, warriors, cops, musicians, kings and the artist himself. In these images the head is often a central focus, topped by crowns, hats, and halos. In this way the intellect is emphasized, lifted up to notice, privileged over the body and the physicality of these figures (i.e. black men) commonly represent in

6864-417: The new ruling that was to come in on May 8, 2013, would involve entertainers. This could mean that performers could be fined $ 250 for the first offense and up to $ 1,000 for further violations. The 2010 rule on which the 2013 ruling was based stated that artists could not sell within 50 feet of a monument or five feet from any bench or fence. Some holiday traditions in the park date back to 1924. Each December,

6968-401: The northwest lawn was reopened after a yearlong restoration which included new grass and sod for the over 39,000 square feet of green space. Funding for the $ 170,000 project was provided by Ray Dalio 's Dalio Philanthropies. Washington Square has long been a hub for politics and culture in New York City. The first neighborhood organization established in New York City was created in support of

7072-407: The park demanding women's suffrage in 1915. In 1888, Robert Louis Stevenson , visiting the U.S. to seek medical help for his battle with consumption , talked to Mark Twain in the park. In the years before and after World War I , the park was a center for many American artists, writers, and activists, including the photographer André Kertész , who photographed the square during winter. Later,

7176-481: The park is home to an annual tree-lighting ceremony as well as a Christmas Eve sing-along with carolers and festive music. Also, the Washington Square Music Festival, which began in 1953, has brought chamber music concerts to park-goers every summer. In 1834, New York University decided to use prison labor to dress the stone for a new building, across from the park, as prison labor from Sing Sing

7280-575: The park is used for plantings due to the paving. The two prominent features are the Washington Square Arch and the Tisch Fountain. It includes children's play areas, trees and gardens, paths to stroll on, a chess and scrabble playing area, park benches, picnic tables, commemorative statuary and two dog runs. Those commemorated by statues and monuments include George Washington ; Italian patriot and soldier Giuseppe Garibaldi , commander of

7384-558: The park to commemorate the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire , which had killed 146 workers the year before. Many of the women wore fitted tucked-front blouses like those manufactured by the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. This clothing style became the working woman's uniform and a symbol of female independence, reflecting the alliance of labor and suffrage movements. Over 25,000 people marched up Fifth Avenue from

7488-487: The park today. Hayes's papers are archived at the New-York Historical Society . Following the end of World War II , folksingers had been congregating on warm Sunday afternoons at the fountain in the center of the park. Tension and conflicts began to develop between the bohemian element and the remaining working-class residents of the neighborhood. The city government began showing an increasing hostility to

7592-478: The park was a gathering area for the Beat generation , folk, and hippie movements in the 1950s and 1960s; in 1958, musician Buddy Holly , a nearby resident of Greenwich Village , spent time in the park both listening to people play and helping guitarists with musical chords. Singers Bob Dylan and Joan Baez lived in the neighbouring eponymous hotel and her lyrics in " Diamonds & Rust " state "Now you're smiling out

7696-502: The park. For over 100 years, the Washington Square Association has been helping to support and better the park and the surrounding neighborhood. The presence of street performers has been one of the defining characteristics of Washington Square Park. For many years, people visiting the park have mingled with the buskers, performers, musicians, and poets. Because of a change in policy on a 2010 rule that involved artists,

7800-537: The park. This plan received widespread support, including that of then-Congressman John Lindsay , as well as Washington Square Park West resident Eleanor Roosevelt. After a public hearing in 1958, a "ribbon tying" ceremony was held to mark the inception of a trial period in which the park would be free of vehicular traffic. In August 1959, the efforts of Ms. Hayes and her allies paid off; from that time forward Washington Square Park has been completely closed to traffic. A plaque commemorating her tireless crusade can be seen in

7904-674: The perimeter fence with a taller fence, and flattening and shrinking the central plaza, the park's politically contested gathering space. The plan also called for felling dozens of mature trees and installing ornamental water plumes in the fountain. A spectrum of opponents had charged the mayor variously with privatizing the park and with social engineering park use, as part of a broader web of speculation schemes threatening nearby South Village and East Village communities and architecture. Five lawsuits were filed to challenge NYC Parks' renovation plans. In July 2006, New York County Supreme Court Justice Emily Jane Goodman enjoined any renovation work on

8008-476: The period of the Basquiat–Warhol collaborations. In his short but prolific career, Basquiat produced around 1,500 drawings, around 600 paintings, and many sculpture and mixed media works. He drew constantly and often used objects around him as surfaces when paper was not immediately at hand. Since childhood, he produced cartoon-inspired drawings when encouraged by his mother's interest in art, and drawing became

8112-420: The punk rock band Blondie , for $ 200 after they had filmed Downtown 81 together. He also appeared as a disc jockey in the 1981 Blondie music video " Rapture ", a role originally intended for Grandmaster Flash . At the time, Basquiat was living with his girlfriend, Suzanne Mallouk , who financially supported him as a waitress. In September 1981, art dealer Annina Nosei invited Basquiat to join her gallery at

8216-440: The school newspaper. He developed the character SAMO to endorse a faux religion. The saying "SAMO" had started as a private joke between Basquiat and his schoolmate Al Diaz, as an abbreviation for the phrase "Same old shit." They drew a series of cartoons for their school paper before and after using SAMO©. SAMO (for "same old") marked the witty sayings of a precocious and worldly teenage mind that, even at that early juncture, saw

8320-585: The second of four children to Matilde Basquiat (née Andrades, 1934–2008) and Gérard Basquiat (1930–2013). He had an older brother, Max, who died shortly before his birth, and two younger sisters, Lisane (b. 1964) and Jeanine (b. 1967). His father was born in Port-au-Prince , Haiti and his mother was born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican parents. He was raised Catholic . Matilde instilled a love for art in her young son by taking him to local art museums and enrolling him as

8424-402: The section of University Place along the eastern side of the park. The proposal was highly controversial among local residents. NYC Parks first considered renovating the park in 2004, though the proposal was controversial. In 2005, the iconic fountain in the center of the park was officially named the Tisch Fountain following a $ 2.5 million donation. This change was met with some backlash from

8528-427: The square became one of the city's most desirable residential areas in the 1830s. The protected row of Greek Revival style houses on the north side of the park remains from that time. In 1849 and 1850, the parade ground was reworked into the first park on the site. More paths were added and a new fence was built around it. In 1871, it came under the control of the newly formed New York City Department of Parks , and it

8632-724: The store window. When Basquiat and Diaz had a falling out, he inscribed "SAMO IS DEAD" on the walls of SoHo buildings in 1980. In June 1980, he appeared in High Times magazine, his first national publication, as part of an article titled "Graffiti '80: The State of the Outlaw Art" by Glenn O'Brien. Later that year, he began filming O'Brien's independent film Downtown 81 (2000), originally titled New York Beat, which featured some of Gray's recordings on its soundtrack. In June 1980, Basquiat participated in The Times Square Show ,

8736-637: The suggestion of Sandro Chia. Soon after, he participated in her group show Public Address . She provided him with materials and a space to work in the basement of her gallery. In 1982, Nosei arranged for him to move into a loft, which also served as a studio at 101 Crosby Street in SoHo. He had his first American one-man show at the Annina Nosei Gallery in March 1982. He also painted in Modena for his second Italian exhibition in March 1982. Feeling exploited, that show

8840-742: The summer, he had a solo exhibition at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Salzburg. He was also invited to walk the runway for Rei Kawakubo again, this time at the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus fashion show in Paris. In October 1986, Basquiat flew to Ivory Coast for an exhibition of his work organized by Bruno Bischofberger at the French Cultural Institute in Abidjan . He was accompanied by his girlfriend Jennifer Goode, who worked at his frequent hangout, Area nightclub. In November 1986, at 25 years old, Basquiat became

8944-455: The use of public facilities by the public and, in 1947, began requiring permits before public performances could be given in any city park. In the spring of 1961, the new parks commissioner Newbold Morris refused a permit to the folksingers for their Sunday afternoon gatherings, because "the folksingers have been bringing too many undesirable [ beatnik ] elements into the park." On April 9, 1961, folk music pioneer Izzy Young , owner of

9048-476: The window of that crummy hotel over Washington Square." On September 27, 2007, Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally at Washington Square; 20,000 people registered for the event, and the crowds overflowed past security gates set up as a cordon. The New York Times described the rally "as one of the largest campaign events of the year." Washington Square Park has appeared in many popular films and television shows, including Barefoot in

9152-657: The world in shades of gray, fearlessly juxtaposing corporate commodity structures with the social milieu he wished to enter: the predominantly white art world. —Franklin Sirmans, In the Cipher: Basquiat and Hip Hop Culture In May 1978, Basquiat and Diaz began spray painting graffiti on buildings in Lower Manhattan . Working under the pseudonym SAMO, they inscribed poetic and satirical advertising slogans such as "SAMO© AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO GOD." In June 1978, Basquiat

9256-581: The world. —Kellie Jones, Lost in Translation: Jean-Michel in the (Re)Mix Art critic Franklin Sirmans analyzed that Basquiat appropriated poetry, drawing, and painting, and married text and image, abstraction , figuration , and historical information mixed with contemporary critique. His social commentary were acutely political and direct in their criticism of colonialism and support for class struggle . He also explored artistic legacies from wide sources, including an interrogation of

9360-548: The youngest artist given an exhibition at Kestner-Gesellschaft in Hanover , Germany. During their relationship, Goode began snorting heroin with Basquiat since drugs were at her disposal. She said: "He didn't push it on me, but it was just there and I was so naïve." In late 1986, she successfully got herself and Basquiat into a methadone program in Manhattan, but he quit after three weeks. According to Goode, he did not start injecting heroin until after she ended their relationship. In

9464-560: Was admitted to a psychiatric hospital when he was ten and thereafter spent her life in and out of institutions. By the age of eleven, Basquiat was fluent in French, Spanish and English, and an avid reader of all three languages. Basquiat's family resided in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Boerum Hill and then in 1974, moved to Miramar, Puerto Rico . When they returned to Brooklyn in 1976, Basquiat attended Edward R. Murrow High School . He struggled to deal with his mother's instability and rebelled as

9568-471: Was canceled because he was expected to make eight paintings in one week. By the summer of 1982, Basquiat had left the Annina Nosei Gallery and gallerist Bruno Bischofberger became his worldwide art dealer. In June 1982, at 21, Basquiat became the youngest artist to ever take part in Documenta in Kassel , Germany. His works were exhibited alongside Joseph Beuys , Anselm Kiefer , Gerhard Richter , Cy Twombly , and Andy Warhol . Bischofberger gave Basquiat

9672-697: Was cheaper than hiring local stonemasons. This, the stonecutters of the city said, was taking the bread out of their mouths. They held a rally in Washington Square Park, and then held the first labor march in the city. That turned into a riot, and the 27th New York regiment was called out to quell the stonecutters. The regiment camped in Washington Square for four days and nights until the excitement subsided. New York University continued their use of prison labor. On Labor Day September 2, 1912, approximately 20,000 workers (including 5,000 women) marched to

9776-507: Was covered in the media. He appeared on the cover of the February 10, 1985, issue of The New York Times Magazine in a feature titled "New Art, New Money: The Marketing of an American Artist". His work appeared in GQ and Esquire , and he was interviewed for MTV 's "Art Break" segment. In 1985, he walked the runway for the Comme des Garçons Spring fashion show in New York. In the mid-1980s, Basquiat

9880-421: Was earning $ 1.4 million a year and he was receiving lump sums of $ 40,000 from art dealers. Despite his success, his emotional instability continued to haunt him. "The more money Basquiat made, the more paranoid and deeply involved with drugs he became," wrote journalist Michael Shnayerson . Basquiat's cocaine use became so excessive that he blew a hole in his nasal septum. A friend claimed that Basquiat confessed he

9984-637: Was expelled from City-As-School for pieing the principal. At 17, his father kicked him out of the house when he decided to drop out of school. He worked for the Unique Clothing Warehouse in NoHo while continuing to create graffiti at night. On December 11, 1978, The Village Voice published an article about the SAMO graffiti. In 1979, Basquiat appeared on the live public-access television show TV Party hosted by Glenn O'Brien . Basquiat and O'Brien formed

10088-578: Was held at Saint Peter's Church on November 3, 1988. Among the speakers was Ingrid Sischy , who as the editor of Artforum got to know Basquiat well and commissioned a number of articles that introduced his work to the wider world. Basquiat's former girlfriend Suzanne Mallouk recited sections of A. R. Penck 's "Poem for Basquiat" and his friend Fab 5 Freddy read a poem by Langston Hughes . The 300 guests included musicians John Lurie and Arto Lindsay , Keith Haring, poet David Shapiro , Glenn O'Brien, and members of Basquiat's former band Gray. In memory of

10192-437: Was modified in 1961. Part of the old loop was closed and replaced with turf, and a set of stanchions were installed around the remaining parts of the loop. In 1962, Manhattan borough president Edward R. Dudley announced plans to close off two vehicular roadways in Washington Square Park that were used by emergency vehicles, as well as the bus turnaround loop. This move would add 1.33 acres (0.54 ha) of parkland. As part of

10296-754: Was on heroin in late 1980. Many of his peers speculated that his drug use was a means of coping with the demands of his newfound fame, the exploitative nature of the art industry, and the pressures of being a black man in the white-dominated art world. For what would be his last exhibition on the West Coast, Basquiat returned to Los Angeles for his show at the Gagosian Gallery in January 1986. In February 1986, Basquiat traveled to Atlanta , Georgia for an exhibition of his drawings at Fay Gold Gallery. That month, he participated in Limelight 's Art Against Apartheid benefit. In

10400-500: Was once divided by a narrow marshy valley through which Minetta Creek (or Brook) ran. In the early 17th century, a Native American village known as Sapohanikan or "Tobacco Field" was nearby. By the mid-17th century, the land on each side of the Minetta was used as farm land by the Dutch. The Dutch gave the land, then outside the city limits (Wall Street) to Angolan residents of the colony, intending for their plots and settlement to serve as

10504-414: Was pronounced dead on arrival . Basquiat is buried at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery . A private funeral was held at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on August 17, 1988. The funeral was attended by immediate family and close friends, including Keith Haring, Francesco Clemente, Glenn O'Brien, and Basquiat's former girlfriend Paige Powell. Art dealer Jeffrey Deitch delivered a eulogy. A public memorial

10608-484: Was redesigned again, with curving rather than straight secondary paths. In 1889, to celebrate the centennial of George Washington 's inauguration as president of the United States , a large plaster and wood Memorial Arch was erected over Fifth Avenue just north of the park. Freemasons from St. John's Lodge No. 1 lead a procession through the arch with the George Washington Inaugural Bible for

10712-415: Was sent into the park, attacked civilians with billy clubs , and arrested 10 people. The incident made the front pages of newspapers as far away as Washington, DC. The New York Mirror initially reported it as a "Beatnik Riot", but retracted the headline in the next edition, although tensions remained for a while. The bus-turnaround loop at the northern end of the park, surrounding Washington Square Arch,

10816-446: Was the only time Basquiat ever discussed his drug problem with him. Glenn O'Brien also recalled Basquiat calling him and telling him he was "feeling really good." Despite attempts at sobriety, Basquiat died at the age of 27 of a heroin overdose at his home on Great Jones Street in Manhattan on August 12, 1988. He had been found unresponsive in his bedroom by his girlfriend Kelle Inman and was taken to Cabrini Medical Center , where he

#903096