Comprising Around 80 Paintings, Objects, and Drawings
An Original Exhibition for Japan

Jean-Michel Basquiat, a painter who dominated the art scene of the 1980s and became the darling of the era. Though he died at 27 and his active career spanned only a decade, he produced over 2,000 drawings and more than 1,000 paintings, incorporating new figurative elements. His works are not only brimming with intense energy but also, building upon the trajectory of 20th-century modernist art, tackle themes unique to a Black artist with Haitian and Puerto Rican roots, such as jazz, hip-hop, African folklore, and racial issues in America. Consequently, his fame has only grown since his death, and he now holds an unshakeable position as one of the greatest masters of 20th-century art.

Basquiat's work continues to exert a significant influence on art, fashion, and culture today, with exhibitions being held successively in prominent museums in London, Paris, and elsewhere in recent years. Basquiat, like "Yen," incorporated motifs reflecting the zeitgeist of Japan during its bubble economy in the '80s, as well as Japanese hiragana characters, and visited Japan numerous times, holding over ten solo and group exhibitions.

This exhibition, curated by world-renowned Basquiat scholar Dieter Buchhart, sheds light on these multifaceted connections between Basquiat and Japan, as well as the little-known influence of Japanese history and culture on his creative process. We invite you to visit this authentic, Japan-original exhibition, featuring approximately 80 carefully selected paintings, objects, and drawings from around the world.

Left: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Napoleon, 1982. Private Collection, Courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Photo: John R. Glembin. Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York. Right: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Self-Portrait, 1985. Private Collection. Photo: Max Yawney. Artwork © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.

Basquiat Exhibition: Made in Japan

Dates | Saturday, September 21, 2019 – Sunday, November 17, 2019
Venue | Mori Arts Center Gallery (52nd floor, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower)
Address | 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Organizer | Fuji Television Network, Inc.
Special Sponsorship | ZOZO Inc.
Sponsorship | Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance Inc.
Support | Embassy of the United States of America
Curator | Dieter Buchhart
Associate Curators | Anna-Catharina Hofmann, Yuko Onoda
Japan Supervision | Kikuo Miyashita (Professor, Kobe University / Art Historian)