Jean-Michel Basquiat: From Homeless Graffiti Artist to Internationally Renowned Painter

As a graffiti artist in the United States, He is an artist who left a shocking piece of work dealing with topics such as graffiti, racism, anatomy, black heroes, cartoons, autobiographical stories, and death. As a genius free-spirited artist in the field of pop art, he has been praised for turning dirty graffiti such as subways into art levels.

Let's learn more about the life of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, from his start as part of graffiti duo SAMO to his rise as an internationally renowned painter. 

This is an animated film of his work and his life story.

Like Beat writers who composed their work by shredding and reassembling scraps of writing, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat used similar techniques to remix his materials. Pulling in splintered anatomy, reimagined historical scenes, and skulls, he repurposed present-day experiences and art history into an inventive visual language. Jordana Moore Saggese explores the chaotic and prolific art of Basquiat.

"Born in 1960 to a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat spent his childhood making art and mischief in Boerum Hill," Brooklyn, says University of Maryland art history professor Jordana Moore Saggese in the animated Ted-Ed introduction above. "While he never attended art school, he learned by wandering through New York galleries, and listening to the music his father played at home." -TED-

Lesson by Jordana Moore Saggese, directed by Héloïse Dorsan Rachet.