BASQUIAT REMIX

How Basquiat transformed his sources and brought a raw, fresh energy to the art of painting

Jean-Michel Basquiat's (1960–88) formal vocabulary was inspired by the precedents of Picasso, Matisse and Twombly; he drew overtly on their fondness for primary colors, fragmented subjects, disturbing faces, dissonant colors and forms, and crudely crafted compositions or objects. Like them, he eschewed virtuosity and appealed instead to naivety and ungainliness, to restore raw energy to art.

Basquiat Remix looks at the artist's paintings alongside a range of works by Picasso, Matisse and Twombly from the Collection Lambert in Paris, as well as from private collections and major institutions. It celebrates his ability to mix and recombine sources, and to balance both visceral effect and self-awreness. The book includes an interview with Yvon Lambert in which he recounts his relationship with the artist.

C'est en priorité à Picasso, Matisse puis Twombly que Jean-Michel Basquiat emprunte une partie de leur vocabulaire formel. Il puise chez eux un attachement aux couleurs primaires, à la fragmentation des sujets, aux visages troublants, à la dissonance des couleurs et des formes ou à des compositions ou objets modestement artisanaux. Plus encore, comme eux, il s'écarte de la froide virtuosité pour convoquer la naïveté et la maladresse et redonner à l'art son énergie pure, celle qui amène au sublime et met en partage une oeuvre aussi sensible qu'engagée.