In a short space of time, Jean-Michel Basquiat has established himself as one of the most reproduced artists of all. For a selection of Jean-Michel Basquiat prints, please visit our paintings section. The combination of contemporary, wild strokes of brushes and pencils, allied with extraordinary colour have lifted him alongside the likes of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jackson Pollock. Whilst our website offers historical information on the artist himself, we do not offer reproductions of his work. These are subject to licenses which art retailers such as Art.com have obtained. Art.com themselves offer a great selection of work from his short but prolific career. There are also opportunities for framing with inlay cards. All tastes are accounted for.
Several high profile exhibitions of his work have helped to propel his reputation across the mainstream art world. His lively style has picked up thousands of fans in a short space of time. His uniqueness as a successful Afro-Caribbean artist have also helped him to stand out from the crowd. In recent years there has been a concerted effort to make exhibitions within the west more inclusive, essentially more representative of the diverse populations that many counties have today. The same can be seen with female artists being made use of far more than previously as efforts have been made to redress the balance as my as possible. America is particularly conscious of addressing this problem and encouraging a wider audience into its exhibition halls, with Basquiat offering a high profile name that fits this bill but is also already a household name.
The graffiti style used by this artist is well suited to art prints, as with most expressive and abstract art. Simple forms and the reliance on eye catching colour schemes are suitable for minimalist modern homes, where most of the accompanying detail around the wall on which it is hung is limited. This allows the original artwork to take your attention immediately. This style would benefit from a simple frame to protect the print, but without distracting the eye. The finish with the addition of a frame is always more professional but one must consider the budget that try have available at the time. These types of extras will also increase shipping costs, we would be a major concern for those ordering from a different country of origin and otherwise may still be particularly relevant.
The messages told within this artist's work essentially served as a form of propaganda. Art has long science been used as a method for promoting a message or vision, with some displays being subtler than others. Basquiat tended to be brutish with his messages, driving them as deep into society as possible. His simplistic approach was similar to how a child might draw its first pictures, and he intended it to be so. He sought to create drama and intrigue in his work, though not all featured political messages, as his career developed quickly over a short period of time. Simplicity of form is a hallmark of many modern art movements, with Basquiat being placed within the groups of Neo-Expressionism and Primitivism. He was essentially a street artist who achieved fame which lifted him out of obscurity and poverty, though his difficult life impacted him throughout his journey, even when things were going well.
Basquiat's career is particularly popular with younger generations. His style is as far from stuffy as one could imagine and he was also seen as a uncontrollable, controversial figure by formal academics. The same art history which turns many away with its (seemingly) stale portraits of centuries past, now it can attract a more modern generation who are interested in political activism and also find this artist's work far more relevant and fashionable. This helps to explain why Basquiat prints have proven so popular in recent years, with several notable retailers acquiring the appropriate licenses in order to sell copies of his work online - these include Art.com, King & McGaw and also several legitimate businesses in the Amazon Third Party store. Non-licensed sellers should be avoided as they can damage the artist's legacy as well as potentially offering variable quality of print.
