Basquiat

We caught up with artist Jennifer Stein to learn more about how a chance meeting with the then-unknown graffiti artist, 'SAMO' aka Jean-Michel Basquiat, at a New York loft party led to a vibrant collaboration on a collection of postcards capturing the energy and creativity of their youth.

Christian Campbell, Trinidadian Bahamian poet, essayist and cultural critic, considers the importance of Basquiat’s work for today’s audience.

Basquiat’s early graffiti experiments as SAMO© intertwined with the burgeoning hip hop, rap and graffiti scenes of the late 1970s and 1980s. Discover the sound of the era.

Basquiat was a regular on New York’s downtown club scene. The faces he met often played a prominent role on his canvas - we explore some of the famous faces featured in the Basquiat: Boom for Real exhibition. 

Poet and rapper Jack Miguel performs his piece 'Casino', inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat's work, in the 'Self-Portrait' room of the 'Basquiat: Boom for Real' exhibition.

We look at Basquiat's relationship to the artists and art he admired

Tim Lawrence remembers the cultural renaissance that was downtown New York's music scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. From SoHo warehouses to Mudd Clubb, we look at how Basquiat's passion for New York's music scene influenced his artistic style

Basquiat took inspiration from a dizzying array of source material - how many literary references can you spot?

From Prince to David Byrne to Donna Summer and Bach, we listen to the music that might have been on Basquiat's playlist

We look at sport's influence on Basquiat's work

Join Barbican curator Eleanor Nairne and Gus Casely-Hayford as they look around the 'Encyclopedia' room in our Basquiat: Boom For Real exhibition and discuss the wide range of influences Jean Michel Basquiat brought into his paintings.

Black Top, the duo of multi-instrumentalist Orphy Robinson and pianist Pat Thomas, perform a live concert after hours in our 'Basquiat: Boom for Real' exhibition.