Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat Skull T-Shirt, Black
Details
This medium weight cotton T-shirt features the bold image of Basquiat’s skull from 1983, printed in the center of the black T-shirt. The bottom right of the shirt features a sewn-in woven tag with handwritten text pulled from one of Basquiat’s famed notebook pages.
- 100% Cotton Jersey
- Unisex, adult size XS to 2XL; Relaxed fit (slightly looser than a classic fit)
- Made in Portugal
- Machine wash cold with like colors; Do not bleach; Do not iron design
About the artwork: Jean-Michel Basquiat often created skull and head paintings throughout his career. His use of skulls is rooted in his identity as a Black artist in America, with the gestural painting reminiscent of African masks. They also present his Haitian heritage on Basquiat’s father’s side—specifically the Vodou religion, which is full of skull symbolisms.
Untitled (Skull), 1983
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Licensed by Artestar, New York
Jean-Michel Basquiat
A poet, musician, and graffiti prodigy in late-1970s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat had honed his signature painting style of obsessive scribbling, elusive symbols and diagrams, and mask-and-skull imagery by the time he was 20. “I don’t think about art while I work,” he once said. “I think about life.” Basquiat drew his subjects from his own Caribbean heritage—his father was Haitian and his mother of Puerto Rican descent—and a convergence of African-American, African, and Aztec cultural histories with Classical themes and contemporary heroes like athletes and musicians. Often associated with Neo-expressionism, Basquiat received massive acclaim in only a few short years, showing alongside artists like Julian Schnabel, David Salle, and Francesco Clemente. In 1983, he met Andy Warhol, who would come to be a mentor and idol. The two collaborated on a series of paintings before Warhol’s death in 1987, followed by Basquiat’s own untimely passing a year later.
