The highly anticipated exhibition, Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© opened on April 9th at RXR’s Starrett-Lehigh Building in West Chelsea. The exhibition features over 200 never before and rarely seen paintings, drawings, ephemera and artifacts that give an intimate and multidimensional portrait of Jean-Michel that can only be told by his family. All of the work comes from the family’s collection with the vast majority never having been exhibited previously. Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© also features re-creations of his NYC artist studio on Great Jones St. and the Michael Todd VIP Room of NYC’s iconic Palladium nightclub for which Jean-Michel created two paintings.
Renowned design brand Arper outfitted the exhibition space. Arper is a leading Italian company that operates internationally and expresses itself through a special focus on color, system flexibility, elegance and sustainability.
The family commissioned internationally acclaimed architect David Adjaye to be the exhibition’s designer. He is the founder of Adjaye Associates, which operates globally, and designed The National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, DC. The exhibition’s identity has been created by Abbott Miller of visionary design firm Pentagram. He has previously collaborated with cultural clients including the Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Metropolitan Museum. Rizzoli Electa has released the accompanying book, also titled Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© to coincide with the exhibition. The book was authored by Jean-Michel’s sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux and his stepmother Nora Fitzpatrick.
Here are some highlights from Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© exhbition:
KINGS COUNTY– This section provides an overview of Jean-Michel’s childhood in Brooklyn and Puerto Rico. It includes an environmental evocation of Jean-Michel’s childhood home, ephemera and works by Jean-Michel including newsletters from City-as-School, sketchbooks, personal notes and effects, home movies, interviews with family members, early drawings and sculptures.
IDEAL– 57 Great Jones Street Studio (August 1983) Studio Recreation– Jean-Michel’s Great Jones Street studio includes paintings, drawings, sketches, personal effects, his furniture, bicycle (his main method of transportation since he had trouble catching a cab), and his videotape and book collections.
PALLADIUM– In 1985, Jean-Michel created two paintings, Nu-Nile and Untitled, for iconic NYC nightclub Palladium’s VIP area, the Michael Todd Room. The exhibition recreates this space including video and soundtrack.
PLACE JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT– This gallery contains oral histories from members of Jean-Michel’s family and a close circle of friends as well as posthumous awards and exhibitions.
Tickets for Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© are available here.
The exhibition will be open thru Labor day with possible extension, based on demand.
Official Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© Site
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