Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist.[1] His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting. Basquiat died of a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988, at the age of 27.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Michel_Basquiat
http://www.theartwolf.com/self-portraits/images/self-portrait-basquiat-1982.jpg
http://29.media.tumblr.com/aHyNHMV3ledromc1vDYKg93qo1_400.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/jbray121/Basquiat/basquiatFlexible.jpg
http://www.artmona.info/famous-artists/painters/basquiat/in-the-cipher.jpg
In 1996, seven years after his death, a biopic film titled “Basquiat” was released, directed by Julian Schnabel, (American artist and filmmaker.) with actor Jeffrey Wright playing Basquiat. David Bowie played the part of Andy Warhol.
I have seen this film several times and find it a great dramatization of Basquiat's life. I have always been fascinated by Banquet’s seemingly unlimited ability to invent and improvise new forms in his art. The work is raw and to me sincerely unpretentious.