Five Things You Didn’t Know About Jean-Michel Basquiat
<p>It’s <strong>Black History Month</strong> in North America, so we’re reflecting on the momentous obstacles faced by a community whose struggles persist today. Defying convention, figures like Basquiat rewrote the narrative of not only what it meant to be a professional visual artist, but also a black visual artist. Through his <a href="https://artupia.com/en/explore/artworks?key=Energetic-Art&category=Energetic-Art&by=Energetic-Art&page=0" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>paintbrush</strong></a>, Basquiat sought to protest against the historical and cultural discrimination that attempted to define him. The <a href="https://artupia.com/en/explore/artworks?key=Provocative&category=Provocative&by=Provocative&page=0" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>provocative </strong></a><em>enfant terrible</em> of the 1980s became a pioneer of <a href="https://artupia.com/en/explore/artworks?key=Energetic-Artworks&category=Energetic-Artworks&by=Energetic-Artworks&page=0" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>Neo-Expressionism</strong></a>, due to his beginnings as a member of graffiti duo, <strong>SAMO</strong> (same old shit).</p>
<p>In honour of the world-renowned painter, here are five facts you didn’t know about Basquiat.</p>
<h1>1. He was extremely intelligent</h1>
<p><img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:770/1*zijOuNansGInujZ9cHyJKg.jpeg" style="height:930px; width:700px" /></p>
<p><a href="https://artupia.com/en/artwork/2470" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Daniele Fratini, <em>Jean Michel-Basquiat</em></a></p>
<p>Not only did he possess an unparalleled <a href="https://artupia.com/en/explore/artworks?key=Brushstrokes&category=Brushstrokes&by=Brushstrokes&page=0" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><strong>creative outlook</strong></a>, but he was also a child prodigy. Following a car accident at the age of seven, Basquiat was bed-bound for weeks where he found solace in reading. The young artist devoured complex literature like <em>Gray’s Anatomy</em>, where the anatomical illustrations inspired his art and creative process. He was also an avid fan of museums, becoming a junior member of the <strong>Brooklyn Museum</strong> at the tender age of six, and by the age of eleven he had achieved fluency in French, Spanish and English.</p>
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