Marking the 30th anniversary of Basquiat’s passing, Japan’s first large-scale Basquiat exhibition has been confirmed.
The show, “Basquiat: Made in Japan,” will be held at the Mori Arts Center Gallery.
Basquiat is a well-known artist, famously associated with collector Yusaku Maezawa, who acquired one of his works for approximately 12.3 billion yen at auction.
Approximately 80 works from private collections around the world will be exhibited in Japan’s first major show.
Jean-Michel Basquiat emerged like a shooting star, delivering a shock to the art scene of the 1980s.
His works, as if narrating his short life, carry an intensely powerful energy. In just ten years he produced over 2,000 drawings and more than 1,000 paintings, incorporating a fresh figurative sensibility.
This exhibition gathers approximately 80 works — paintings, drawings, and more — from around the world, tracing Basquiat’s brief life and the era in which he lived. *According to the latest information, 130 works are now planned for exhibition (updated September 11, 2019).
Onion Gum, 1983
Acrylic and oilstick on canvas
177.8×203.2x5cm
Courtesy Van de Weghe Fine Art, New York
Photo: Camerarts, New York
Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Licensed by Artestar, New York
A solo exhibition for Japan curated by Dieter Buchhart, a world-renowned authority on Basquiat scholarship.
Basquiat’s vivid presence continues to exert a major influence on art, fashion, and culture to this day. In recent years, exhibitions have been held one after another at renowned museums across Europe and the U.S., including the Fondation Beyeler, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton.
This exhibition welcomes Dieter Buchhart, a world-leading authority on Basquiat, who co-curated “Basquiat: Boom for Real” at London’s Barbican Centre last year — the most-attended exhibition in that venue’s history — and curated “Jean-Michel Basquiat,” which ran in Paris through January 14, 2019. He has independently planned this large-scale exhibition especially for Japan.
Untitled, 1982
Oilstick, acrylic, and spray paint on canvas
183x173cm
Yusaku Maezawa Collection, Chiba
Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Licensed by Artestar, New York
The Japan Basquiat Saw — A Special Feature “Made in Japan,” Tracing His Bonds and Messages Through His Works
During his lifetime, Basquiat visited Japan on several occasions and held more than ten solo and group exhibitions in the country.
Among his motifs are works such as “Yen,” reflecting the social climate of Japan during the bubble economy of the time. The exhibition sheds light on Basquiat’s multifaceted bonds with Japan and the little-known influence that Japan’s rich history and culture had on his creative practice.
Napoleon, 1982
Acrylic and oilstick on canvas,mourtedon tied wood supports
121.92×121.92cm
Private Collection,
Courtesy of the Miwaukee Art Museum
Photo：John R. GlenbinJohn R. Glembin
Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Licensed by Artestar, New York
The exhibition will run from Saturday, September 21 through Sunday, November 17, 2019, at the Mori Arts Center Gallery.
Self-Portrait, 1985
Acrylic, oilstick, crown cork and bottle caps on wood
141.9x153x14.9cm
Private Collection
Photo: Max Yawney
Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988)
Born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1960, to a Haitian father and a mother of Puerto Rican descent.
From 1977 to 1979, he made his name on the streets of Manhattan with poetic graffiti tagged SAMO© together with Al Diaz.
In 1980, he showed paintings for the first time in the legendary group exhibition “The Times Square Show.”
In 1981, he participated in the “New York/New Wave” exhibition.
The same year, he held his first solo exhibition at Galleria d’Arte Emilio Mazzoli in Modena, Italy.
In 1982, his first solo exhibition in the United States opened at Annina Nosei Gallery in New York, establishing his reputation and bringing him commercial success.
That same year he became the youngest artist ever to participate in the international art exhibition “Documenta 7,” and in 1983 he took part in the “Whitney Biennial,” a special exhibition of contemporary art.
He deepened his exchanges with artists emblematic of the era, such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, and stirred a whirlwind on the downtown New York art scene of the 1980s — only to die tragically at just 27 years of age.
Overview
“Basquiat: Made in Japan”
Dates: Saturday, September 21 – Sunday, November 17, 2019
Venue: Mori Arts Center Gallery (52F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower)
Organizer: Fuji Television Network
Special Sponsor: ZOZO, Inc.
Sponsor: Sompo Japan Nipponkoa
Support: Embassy of the United States
Curator: Dieter Buchhart
Associate Curators: Anna Karina Hofbauer, Yuko Onoda
Japanese Supervisor: Kikuro Miyashita (Professor, Kobe University / art historian)
Official exhibition website: http://www.basquiat.tokyo/
Inquiries: 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial)
