"I want to make paintings that look as if they were made by a child. I like kids’ work more than work by real artists any day."
Our Collaboration
The collaboration between THE SKATEROOM, The Jean-Michel Basquiat Foundation and Artestar draws on BASQUIAT’s iconic paintings from the early 1980s. It also brings street art full-circle, connecting the artist’s graffiti from the 1970s to Skateistan’s promotion of contemporary global skate culture.
As a boy, Jean-Michel BASQUIAT wanted to be a cartoonist. He established his reputation as a graffiti artist in the late 1970s, and his tag (SAMO) and subversive messages caught the attention of art-world stars of the era: Andy Warhol and Keith Haring thrust Basquiat onto a global stage. Through his friendship with both of them, he turned to the studio, creating paintings that reflect the energy of early 1980s hip-hop, as well as other cultural influences —ranging from Picasso to voodoo to Malcolm X.
Jean-Michel BASQUIAT’s artwork features layers of drawing, scratching, painting, collage, photocopying, and found objects — compositions which display a mastery of materials and techniques from acrylic and screen-printing to colored markers and spray paint.
Every Board Fuels Change
Every purchase helps create skate and education spaces where they're needed most. Art builds skateparks.
Every Board Fuels Change
Every purchase helps create skate and education spaces where they're needed most. Art builds skateparks.