Gagosian exhibits Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat, a key figure of the counter-culture turned art world superstar, continues to inspire and intrigue. We urgently need to discover his work at the Gagosian gallery.

In Paris, in 2023, his works were exhibited at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, alongside those ofAndy Warhol, and at the Philharmonie de Paris, where music played a central role in the Basquiat Soundtracks exhibition. This musical influence, like his in-depth knowledge of art history, runs through the whole of his work.

Today, Gagosian Gallery is spotlighting one of his iconic paintings, Untitled (1982), against an antique statue of Venus from the prestigious Torlonia collection. This dialogue between past and present reveals unexpected and powerful dimensions of Basquiat’s art.

Face to face

Galerie Gagosian’s exhibition explores the figure of Venus, goddess of love, in the history of art. At the heart of this confrontation is an imperial Roman sculpture of Venus. It is reminiscent of the works of the greatest classical masters. This rare piece is part of the Torlonia collection, one of the richest and most extensive collections of Roman art in the world.

Opposite, visitors will discover Untitled, a monumental painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat, created in 1982 in Modena, Italy. This painting is part of a corpus of eight works commissioned by collector Emilio Mazzoni, but which remained unpublished for several decades. It was only recently, in 2022, that these paintings were unveiled to the public at the Fondation Beyeler. Today, one of these canvases, marked by Basquiat’s creative energy, takes center stage in the intimate setting of the Gagosian gallery.

Dialogue des arts

In Untitled, Basquiat uses bright colors and almost childlike features. But behind this apparent naiveté lies a profound reflection on universal figures such as the angel, the devil, the prophet and Venus, the only female figure in this series called “Modena”. Her paintings draw on both her personal imagination and cultural references.

The influence of Venus in Basquiat’s life is twofold. On the one hand, he draws direct inspiration from Roman mythology and classical representations of this goddess. On the other, his muse, Suzanne Mallouk, affectionately nicknamed “Venus”, also permeates this work. The painting echoes Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, but reinvents classical iconography with contemporary touches and a unique style. The juxtaposition reveals the timeless power of female representations in art.

By revisiting these works through his own visual codes, Basquiat conveys a cryptic message, recalled in one of his quotations: “Venus, morning star, sweet potato, I have the silver and you have the gold”. An enigma which, like so many others in his work, remains open to interpretation.

To be discovered at Galerie Gagosian, 4 rue de Ponthieu 75008.

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