Basquiat, Jean Michel |
| PAINTER (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) |
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BORN 22 Dec 1960, New York City, New York: Brooklyn - DIED 12 Aug 1988, New York City, New York: Brooklyn CAUSE OF DEATH heroin overdose GRAVE LOCATION New York City, New York: Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn (Section 176, Lot 44603) |
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Son of a father from Haiti and a mother from Puerto Rico. He grew up in poor circumstances in New York. His mother encouraged him to draw and paint and when he was seventeen he started graffiti paintings at old buildings in Manhattan using the signature "SAMO". In 1978 he left school and he left home and by 1979 he was well known in the art scene of the East Village. He appeared in the music video of the Blondie single "Rapture" after Grandmaster Flash didn't show up. During the eighties his fame grew and he exhibited first in New York and then internationally. In 1982 he met Andy Warhol with whom he collaborated. By 1984 he had developed a drug habit and his behaviour grew strange. His standing as an artist was now such that he had solo exhibitions in European capitals. When Warhol died in 1987 he was schocked and in 1988 he died in his studio in Great Jones Street from a speedball, a combination of heroin and cocaine. |
| Images |
 The grave of Jean-Michel Basquiat at Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York City. Picture by Androom (14 Apr 2008) |
Sources • Find-A-Grave |
