Basquiat X Pablo Picasso

“Untitled (Triptych),” by Jean-Michel Basquiat
In this 1983 triptych, Basquiat dissects and reconfigures a series of images that are unmistakably Picassoesque. On the left panel, a gestural, geometric nude assumes the pose of one of Picasso’s Demoiselles and a face in the central panel is depicted in the Spanish artist’s signature dual profile. Basquiat presents a skull on the bottom of the right panel—a nod to Picasso’s later works.

Harry Styles Drops $4 Million on a Jean-Michel Basquiat Painting

Jay Z's not the only chart-topper with a Basquiat on his walls. One Direction singer Harry Styles recently dropped £2.8 million pounds (that's $4 million USD) for an unnamed painting by the late Jean-Michel Basquiat. Apparently, the British pop star is a huge fan of art and has been taking pointers from Jay Z himself, sources say. 

"Harry's a big fan of art and sees it as a good way to make money. Rather than splurge, he thinks it's a smart investment," one source told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper. "Harry's really smart when it comes to money. He wants to invest his cash, and Jay Z advised him to buy art."

Before acquiring the Basquiat painting, Styles had already amassed a $250,000 art collection, including a series of love-themed Hayden Kays prints and a controversial sculpture of a handgun. It's probably only a matter of time before Styles begins swooping in on Warhols and asking for Piccassos too.

RAW DEAL! Was Basquiat Appreciated? by Traver Dodorye

I am an upcoming artist located in Miami Florida and I was doing some research on my favorite artist. Jean Michael Basquiat was born in 1960 in Brooklyn New York and seem to have such a rough child hood growing up. From the destruction of marital problems in his house hold to him trying to find himself from moving back and fourth from Haiti, New York, puerto rico and back to New York. Basquiat had a rough child hood that eventually led to him dropping out of high school, in which followed by his father kicking him out of the household. He slept around town on whoever couch he could sleep on or whatever park bench was available. He was known at first as a graffiti artist and eventually became good friends with Andy Warhol who he eventually collaborated with and became close friends with. Warhol took Basquiat under his wings and educated him about the art industry. The misconception of becoming an artist is that everyone knows their capability but never know when that opportunity will come across. The one thing that I just now realized about basquiat that was just brought to my attention by a security guard at my job who is originally from New York, nothing basquiat did was through happiness. None of basquiats work expressed him being happy. The media expresses him as being this young artist who gained recognition after his death. Yes Jean had an addiction, and yes he was a original and well respected artist, but did people really love jean? or was he just being commercialized due to his talents (Paintings) was selling like hot cakes right before his death due to people knowing his addictions and they saw an opportunity to get their hands on a piece of art that they knew very soon would be worth so much. Was basquiat really loved or was he just being used?
"He was an addict that could have gotten help,if people really cared about him but they didn't they just wanted to get their hands on his product that Basquiat expressed the reality of his life on a canvas" says the security guard.

Homing In on a Couple’s Basquiat Drawings

Longtime collectors like Herbert and Lenore Schorr are luckier than most. In 1981, while visiting the Annina Nosei Gallery, which was then on Prince Street in SoHo, the couple met Jean-Michel Basquiat, fell in love with his work and bought one of his paintings. That purchase was quickly followed by others — drawings as well as canvases — and, over the years, the Schorrs amassed one of the most important Basquiat collections in the country. The Schorrs also became friends with the artist, who died of a drug overdose at 27 in 1988, and occasionally bought a painting or drawing right out of his Manhattan studio.

“Jean-Michel himself was fascinated that we always gravitated toward the complex work,” said Ms. Schorr, who argues that the drawings are “the key to all his work.”

While institutions like the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh have shown Basquiats from the Schorrs’ collection, there has never been an exhibition focusing chiefly on the couple’s works on paper by the artist. Now, however, the Schorrs are lending 22 of their Basquiat drawings for a show running from May 1 through June 13 at the Acquavella Galleries. Eleanor Acquavella, one of the gallery’s directors, said she welcomed the opportunity because “there is a complex side to his drawings that few people are familiar with.”

In addition to the 22 drawings, dense with the artist’s signature graffiti scrawls, words and images, the Schorrs will lend two paintings that incorporate drawing and collage with some of the same imagery.

Basquiat's Other Ex-Girlfriend Gives Glimpse Into The Artist's Early Days

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The Start of Neff by Traver Dodorye

The Start of Neff

Can you introduce yourself and your role at Neff?

My name is Shaun Neff and I started the brand Neff over 10 years ago. I am currently the CEO of the company and I have fun everyday.

How did you originally start the brand?

Growing up as a SoCal kid it was a dream of mine to have a cool lifestyle company one day like the ones I supported as a teenager. When I moved to Utah for college I just went for it; printing T-shirts with my last name on it and selling them out of my backpack. After creating a slight buzz in my college town Shreddin, I supported a number of illustrious snowboarders and learned that there was a niche in headwear. It started with some self-made headbands, then shortly after, we established ourselves as Neff Headwear.

How would you describe your sense of branding and visual language?

At a young age, I was always very intrigued with branding and product. At Neff, one of our brand slogans is “Forever Fun” and that’s how we try to communicate our brand message. A lot of brands get so caught up with what type of brand they want people to believe they are. I just want to make products and let the public decide on the end result. I’ve heard Neff been described as an electronic band (via our support from Steve Aoki and Deadmau5), a hip-hop clothing label (via collaborations with 2 Chainz, Mac Miller and Snoop Dogg) and our collaboration with Jean-Michel Basquiat sees us mingling with the art world. Limiting oneself as a type of label is only limiting your future and your following, so we try to stay as open as possible in regards to ideas and motifs.

“LIMITING ONESELF AS A TYPE OF LABEL IS ONLY LIMITING YOUR FUTURE AND YOUR FOLLOWING, SO WE TRY TO STAY AS OPEN AS POSSIBLE IN REGARDS TO IDEAS AND MOTIFS.”

Shaun Neff on open minded branding

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On Design, Fashion and Collaborations

Outside of work, what’s going through your mind in terms of design and fashion?  

This business consumes all my energy so I’m constantly researching on what the trends are today and what new brands are dropping. Inspirations can be found everywhere, from typefaces used on a menu in a Mexican restaurant to the paintings on the wall. The rest of the time I try and give time to my wife and two amazing boys, they play an intrinsic part to the initial ideas behind the Disney x Neff collaboration.

How would you describe the design of Neff products?

Our design motto is “Spitting Out Endless Flavors For The World To Consume.” We don’t ever want to feel like we’re stuck in a box or pigeon holed to one look. We have evolved through time. We did well six years ago when surf, skate and show was thriving. Now with the emphasis on streetwear, we’re able to make the crossover while still keeping to our brand integrity. We want to make items that’s are trend-drive but also very approachable.

What’s your general workflow to designing each season?

I’m the creative director behind the brand, so I tend to list out a number of design stories that will be slimmed down once we decide what’s achievable. I work with the design team to make sure the end product is on point. Our best-selling categories are accessories so we’re constantly seeking new colorways and materials to enhance those offerings. With the convenience of social media, the promotional process is faster, yet fashion is evolving quicker so we have to make sure we stay ahead.

What’s it like helping conceptualize ideas for collaborations and bringing them to life?

The collaborations have been amazing and by far the best part of my job.  I’m humbled to meet and become friends with these talented people. Birthday celebrations with Steve Aoki and talks with Wiz Khalifa for several hours on how he wants his Taylor Gang capsule collaboration to suffice are valuable moments. Turning these conversations into actual pieces on shelves and worn by our fans are really special to me.

“WE DON’T EVER WANT TO FEEL LIKE WE’RE STUCK IN A BOX OR PIGEON HOLED TO ONE LOOK.”

Shaun Neff talks about designing products

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Favorites and Amazement

Your favorite moments working on a previous collaboration?

Flying to Miami and spending all night in Damian Marley’s studio listening to him talk about his childhood and how Bob Marley has influenced him was an inspirational time. More recently, I was walking into Disney’s creative offices and looking through an open playbook with all of its amazing properties — such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Jungle Book. It was crazy looking at original sketches of Mickey and how he was created. It was a special moment since I’ve been an ardent fan of Disney since my youth.

The best thing you read in the last little while?

The best thing I read lately would be the book called The Tipping Point – it really has been a guide for me building this brand.

What was the last thing you did that amazed you?

The last thing that amazed me was for sure this past weekend at the Super Bowl. Richard Sherman came in rocking our Neff Brodie Sunglasses to the game, then I ended up on the field with 10 seconds left being police escorted with Hall Of Famer Marcus Allen, where he was giving out the MVP trophy. So there I was in the middle of the Seahawk’s Super Bowl celebration taking selfies with the team.