More than three decades after Jean-Michel Basquiat's death in 1988, his artwork appears on everything from twenty-dollar Uniqlo t-shirts to luxury kimonos and sports bras. The question that continues to divide art critics, friends, and fans is whether the legendary New York artist would have celebrated or been horrified by the mass commercialization of his creative legacy.
Basquiat's untimely death at age 27 means these questions may never be definitively answered. Today, his art graces products ranging from bathroom mats sold on Redbubble to Ligne Bath's Trumpet candle. Perhaps most notably, a collaboration with MeUndies underwear featured the tagline: "Jean-Michel Basquiat taught us all to look inward and find our authentic self. MeUndies always strives for authenticity."
A new book titled "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Making of an Icon" by Doug Woodham, former president of Christie's auction house in the United States, attempts to address this complex question while examining the neo-expressionist's journey to becoming one of the world's most recognizable artists. Woodham suggests that comparing Basquiat to his contemporary Keith Haring provides valuable insight into understanding his likely perspective on merchandising.
Haring, who was both a friend and contemporary of Basquiat, pioneered the concept of putting artistic motifs on everyday items like keychains through pop-up shops, demonstrating that such commercialization wouldn't necessarily damage an artist's market value. While Woodham believes Basquiat would generally be excited about how his estate has marketed his artworks, he expresses uncertainty about whether the artist would approve of all the merchandise featuring his work.
Al Diaz, Basquiat's friend and artistic collaborator who co-created the famous Samo graffiti tag, takes a more definitive stance. Speaking from New York, Diaz argues that the merchandising dilutes both the meaning and message of the original art. "It's abusive at this point. It's demeaning to the artist, offensive and disrespectful," he states. When asked about specific products Basquiat would have categorically rejected, Diaz points to items like the Barbie doll collaboration and door mats, calling them "over the top and thoughtless" examples of printing artwork "on everything and anything."
However, Woodham's portrayal in "The Making of an Icon" complicates the popular image of Basquiat as a starving, drug-addicted punk artist. Once he began earning money, Basquiat is characterized as someone who genuinely enjoyed wealth and strategically pursued fame. His ambition led him to cultivate a friendship with Andy Warhol and engage in deliberate self-branding, often wearing designer suits splattered with paint as a signature look. Diaz confirms this calculated approach, noting that Basquiat had observed fellow artist Julian Schnabel gaining attention by appearing at parties in pajamas and decided to develop his own strategic approach to fame.
The book identifies three key traumatic experiences that shaped the artist's character and worldview. These include a near-fatal car accident during his childhood, the violent breakdown of his parents' marriage that resulted in his mother Matilda suffering a nervous breakdown, and his mother's subsequent decision to leave him and his two sisters to be raised by their father Gerard alone.
Gerard Basquiat's own background significantly influenced the family dynamic. Born in Haiti, he fled the country due to civil unrest, first moving to Miami before eventually settling alone in New York. Despite initially speaking only French, Gerard learned English and became an accountant. Woodham describes him as "really impressive" but also "very domineering," characteristics that led to frequent conflicts with his son.
The relationship between father and son was particularly strained due to cultural and personal differences. According to Diaz, "Everybody wants to be recognized and supported by their parents. He had a lot of anger and disdain and disappointment because he never received that from his dad – having a bisexual, art-oriented son was not in his father's playbook."
After Basquiat's death, Gerard took control of his son's estate, and their complicated relationship significantly influenced how the artist is understood today. In "The Making of an Icon," Gerard is portrayed as both savvy and controlling regarding his son's narrative. He partnered with Keith Haring's legal team to learn about licensing while carefully managing how his son's story was told to the public.
Woodham reveals that gallery curators, speaking off the record, reported that Gerard Basquiat would pressure them to omit certain biographical elements from exhibitions and catalogs. These included his mother's role in his life, the effects of his childhood trauma, the extent of his drug addiction, and aspects of his bisexuality. This editorial control promoted a more heteronormative narrative that would presumably be more palatable to both the elite art market and general public consumption.
"There was a uniformity to how all the museum and gallery catalogues were written," Woodham observes. However, he argues that including these suppressed elements would enhance rather than diminish the artist's legacy: "I think all these strands add a richness to the guy's character. I think it makes him more compelling and interesting."
Despite debates about artistic integrity, Basquiat's cultural reach remains undeniable. For younger generations who first encountered his work through commercial merchandise rather than galleries or museums, the omnipresence of his art doesn't diminish its impact or significance.
Woodham notes this generational shift in art appreciation and discovery: "It's fascinating to talk to 30-something collectors. For them, Basquiat has always been in the pantheon. And the first time they ever heard of him was from a Uniqlo T-shirt." This observation highlights how contemporary art consumption and appreciation have evolved, with commercial products serving as entry points to artistic discovery rather than cheapening the original works' cultural value.
