Jean-Michel Basquiat: Radiant Child - Movie Review – 2010
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Wonder Child and Art Star
By Jennifer Merin, About.com Guide
Filmmaker Tamra Davis was a friend of Jean-Michel Basquiat's and interviewed him on video shortly before his death in 1988. Only now, in 2010, has she returned to the footage to use it as a base for her moving and intimate profile of her former friend. Davis also uses archival footage of Basquiat -- painting on the streets of New York, where he first gained notoriety as a graffiti artist using the tag SAMO, and creating canvasses in his studio, mingling with rich clients at his gallery showings and becoming a famous player in New York's downtown art scene.
The Basquiat Story
Davis' documentary shows that young Basquiat, who began his career as a street graffiti artist using the tag SAMO and quickly took the downtown gallery world by storm, always had his eye on fame. And, when he got it, it went to his head.
Basquiat ran away from his family home in Brooklyn when he was just a teenager. He lived on the streets of the Lower East Side for several years, but his talent, personal charm and sense of style quickly garnered him celebrity status. He was recognized by art dealers and collectors, and his large canvasses began selling for huge sums. He became an instant art star.
Basquiat became a regular on New York's downtown art scene, frequenting VIP rooms at exclusive clubs, befriending Andy Warhol and hanging out with The Factory clan. He wore expensive Armani suits while painting, and sported dreadlocks as though they were his crown. And he, like many of his cohorts, rode the roller coaster of drug addiction, which ultimately claimed his life when he was just 27 years old.
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