In Paris, the Fondation Louis Vuitton en has been tracking Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork for a while. After the successful exhibition Jean-Michel Basquiat in 2018, they’ve decided to continue their labour and present Basquiat x Warhol: Painting 4 Hands this year. In it, they show the ongoing two-year (1984 - 1985) collaboration between the two (and sometimes three, including Francesco Clemente) artists. Thanks to Bruno Bischofberger, who got all three together, we can now enjoy this exhibition which features a total of seventy paintings signed by the main two artists plus fifteen more in which Clemente also had a hand in. It lasts until August 28, so run and book your flights to Paris!
Bruno, a recognised gallerist and art collector from Switzerland, regularly arranged meetings for Andy Warhol to meet young artists who were also represented by him. Warhol often finished these encounters by painting a portrait of the person he had just met. However, in 1982, when Basquiat was introduced to him, the tables were turned when the young artist abruptly refused, went directly to his studio and painted a double portrait presenting himself next to his elder. Two hours later, when Warhol received the barely-dried painting, he exclaimed: “Oh, I’m so jealous! He’s faster than me”. That’s how both artists met. As they say, the rest is now history…
During the two years that they were collaborating, they did around a hundred and sixty paintings where Warhol would often start with a logo, title or silkscreen that would establish the concept as well as the scale of the canvas. Then, Basquiat would intervene as if it was collage, with his witty and loose style. Keith Haring, who witnessed their friendship and collaboration production, used to describe the meetings as a conversation, “Two minds merging to create a third distinctive and unique mind.”
Apart from the dialogue between both styles, the exhibition also addresses relevant subjects such as the inclusion of the African American community in the history of North America, where Warhol was a major manufacturer of icons. In the exhibition, we can find paintings like Dos Cabezas (which is the iconic double portrait of their first meeting), Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper), Olympic Rings or Brown Spots, a portrait of Andy Warhol as a banana by Basquiat. Also, we will be able to see the famous photographs by Michael Halsband, Boxing Gloves, which was requested by Basquiat back in 1985. As well as other artworks by artists such as Jenny Holzer, Kenny Scharf or Keith Haring to evoke the art scene of New York in the burgeoning ‘80s.
During the two years that they were collaborating, they did around a hundred and sixty paintings where Warhol would often start with a logo, title or silkscreen that would establish the concept as well as the scale of the canvas. Then, Basquiat would intervene as if it was collage, with his witty and loose style. Keith Haring, who witnessed their friendship and collaboration production, used to describe the meetings as a conversation, “Two minds merging to create a third distinctive and unique mind.”
Apart from the dialogue between both styles, the exhibition also addresses relevant subjects such as the inclusion of the African American community in the history of North America, where Warhol was a major manufacturer of icons. In the exhibition, we can find paintings like Dos Cabezas (which is the iconic double portrait of their first meeting), Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper), Olympic Rings or Brown Spots, a portrait of Andy Warhol as a banana by Basquiat. Also, we will be able to see the famous photographs by Michael Halsband, Boxing Gloves, which was requested by Basquiat back in 1985. As well as other artworks by artists such as Jenny Holzer, Kenny Scharf or Keith Haring to evoke the art scene of New York in the burgeoning ‘80s.
