Tribute to Basquiat.

Hi Guys,

Last Reebok's limited edition release gives me the occasion to pay myself a tribute to one of my favorite artists. Reebok just launched a second footwear collection inspired from the work of the pioneer of street art.

 

The Fall/Winter 2009 collection presents a serie of work such as Mitchell Crew, Quality Meats For The Public,or Pegasus adapted on the Reebok’s Classic, Top-Down and Ex-O-Fit Hi models. 

Click on the art piece to view the linked Reebok's Fall/Winter 2009 edition:

  

     

The pair of sneakers are available for about 110-120€ @ Colette. 

Jean Michel Basquiat, born in 1960, has probably been one of the firsts and most popular Afro-american painter. He was pionner of street art as he firsts started to paint and write on fascades buildings and New-York's subway. He used to sign his graffitis with the letters SAMO©. (Same old shit) and started to sell his artwork (hand made postcards and t-shirts) to survive, after having dropped out school. He, more surprisingly, even used his artist name to preach his philosophy of religion and politics and earn some cash before he emmerged from the street.

Click on the video to watch "Painting Live, Downtown (1981)", the first street art performance ever recorded:

He then began painting and drawing on canvas and paper. The success has been incredibly fast and the marginal black artist quickly became a popular figure of the hype art scene of the 80's.  His friendships with Keith Haring and Andy Warhol have been crucial for his career.  His alternative work turned into a highly makatable style, as his popularity increased. Inspired by the afro-culture, he used graffitti technics and symbolic representation to critic the bourgoisie society is then belonged to. 

To satisfy his taste for nightlife activities, expensive clothing, restaurants, travels, and drug addiction, he often had to work extensive hours. He enjoyed the success, the money and the excess, but, under command pressures he started to increase his consumption of weed, cocaine and heroine, and left himself in a desperate state of paranoia. He died of an heroin overdose in 1988. He was 27.

His controversial lifestyle have inspired the movie "Basquiat", released in 1996. For those that are more sensitive to music art, I invite you click and discover the track "Beat Bop"  produced by Basquiat in 1983.

There is so much to say about Basquiat and his art. He is the artist that introduced me to graphic art and his fabulous artwork will always remain as the most interesting and delightful to me.

VL.