Basquiat exhibition with previously unseen work opening in NYC

Sean Furtado

Previously unseen work by Jean-Michel Basquiat will be showcased in an exhibition for the first time starting next year. Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure is set to open in Spring of 2022 in the artist's native NYC, in the Starrett Lehigh building in Chelsea. It's being put together by his sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, who run his estate, and their stepmother, Nora Fitzpatrick. "We wanted to bring his work and personality forward, in a way only his family can, for people to immerse themselves in," Lisane said in a statement. "We want this to be a multi-dimensional celebration of Jean-Michel's life."

"This exhibition showcasing the man behind the icon has been years in the making, from the initial idea in 2017 around the 30th anniversary of Jean-Michel's passing to now," Jeanine adds. "There's been many exhibitions of Jean-Michel's work, but never told from the perspective of the family – Jean-Michel as a child, a man, a son, and a brother. As we were all in lockdown, we said: 'Maybe now is the right time.'"

More from the exhibition's description:

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s contributions to the history of art and his explorations of multifaceted cultural phenomena––including music, the Black experience, pop culture, Black American sports figures, literature, and other sources––will be showcased through immersive environments providing unique insight into the late artist’s creative life and his singular voice that propelled a social and cultural narrative that continues to this day.

Organized and curated by the family of Jean-Michel Basquiat, this exhibition of over 200 never-before-seen and rarely shown paintings, drawings, multimedia presentations, ephemera, and artifacts tell the story of Jean-Michel from an intimate perspective, intertwining his artistic endeavors with his personal life, influences, and the times in which he lived.

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