JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
OUR FRIEND, JEAN
November 7th, 2019 – *Extended thru February 29th, 2020
916 Bedford ave, Brooklyn
OUR FRIEND, JEAN
November 7th, 2019 – *Extended thru February 29th, 2020
916 Bedford ave, Brooklyn
WORKS
ABOUT
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The Bishop Gallery proudly presents “Our Friend, Jean,” an exhibit featuring a sampling of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s early works from a group of collectors that knew him intimately, as friends, lovers, and confidants..A total of 20 works will be displayed, including drawings, writings, collages, apparel, and a sculpture. The group of collectors consists of Jane Diaz, Hilary Jaeger, Katie Taylor Legnini, Luc Sante, Robert Becker, Al Diaz and photographer Alexis Adler who also served as co-curator. Through these works, each collector will be sharing uniquely intimate stories of their friend Jean.
The exhibition lends a voice to the unsung collectors of the world, those who offer an artist critical early support out of genuine friendship. It is precisely this type of support that can spring board an artist’s career to unimaginable heights. This was certainly the case for Jean-Michel Basquiat. An original Basquiat work can fetch tens of millions of dollars; one recently set a Christie’s auction record at $110 million when it was sold to the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Many of these high-priced works are owned by collectors like Maezawa who have never met Basquiat and even the collectors who have met him in person couldn’t claim to have had a friendship with him. Friendship is what distinguishes the group of collectors who are lending their works to the “Our Friend, Jean” exhibition. Friend and collector Jane Diaz, who was married to Al Diaz (co-creator of SAMO alongside Basquiat), loaned three pieces to the exhibition. Basquiat created these works when he was crashing at Jane’s apartment in the Lower East Side during the early 1980s. One of the three loaned works is a collaborative piece by the two friends. While mostly created by Jane, the few touches from Jean may make the 8x11in mixed media work on paper infinitely more valuable. But it’s the intrinsic value and the first-hand account of where, when and how this piece was created that sets this exhibition apart from other showings of Basquiat’s works. Photographer and co-curator Alexis Adler is the anchor for the "Our Friend, Jean" exhibition. She was Basquiat’s roommate, friend, and ex-lover, and has toured her collection of his original works at museums both nationally and abroad. Alexis has also shown her collection of Jean-Michel photos, back in May, 2019 at the Bishop Gallery. It was after this experience that Alexis deemed it necessary for her to also show his works, in Brooklyn, his, hometown. “The enthusiasm shown by the contemporary art lovers of Brooklyn, warmed my heart. Never before have I shared stories about Jean with an audience that was so eager to listen.” “Our Friend, Jean” will be on display thru February 29th, 2020. |