Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Foundation Beyeler

In honor to what would have been the legendary graffiti artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s, 50th birthday, Foundation Beyeler in Basel dedicated the largest retrospective the artist ever had in Europe.

There’s no doubt that Basquiat paved the way for graffiti artists today, and many more, with his emotionally charged, naïve and very “untraditional” approach to painting, he is, without any doubt one of the most important American artists, and one of the most influential of the modern era.

From the Foundation Beyeler introduction:

“The art of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) possesses the same intensity and energy that marked his brief life. The artist star died on August 12, 1988, at age 27, of a drug overdose. In the space of only eight years he had succeeded in creating an extensive oeuvre and introducing new figurative and expressive elements into contemporary art.

On the occasion of his fiftieth birthday, the Foundation Beyeler is devoting the first large exhibition ever held in Europe to this outstanding American draftsman and painter. Comprising over 100 works, it traces Basquiat’s unique artistic development and reflects his place in art history. Conceived as a retrospective, the exhibition also enables a rediscovery and re-evaluation of one of the most fascinating personalities in the history of recent art.”

The retrospective takes place until September 5th, 2010.

Click here for a video of the show, and interview with co-curator Sam Keller on Vernissage TV.

I also recommend the great film, “Basquiat” starring Jeffery Wright as the artist, and directed by artist Julian Schnabel.