r/Basquiat

Medium: Acrylic, oilstick, and paper collage on three joined canvases
Dimensions: Overall: 78 × 63 in. (198.1 × 160 cm.)

Executed across three joined canvases, this large-scale 1982 work showcases Basquiat's layered visual language through text, anatomy, symbols, collage, and expressive line.

References to the human figure, religious imagery, and handwritten phrases unfold across distinct vertical panels, reflecting the artist's ability to merge painting, drawing, and found materials into a single dynamic composition.

Medium: Oilstick on paper mounted on linen
Dimensions: 43 × 30¾ in. (109.2 × 78.1 cm.)

One of Basquiat's most compelling early heads, this work distills the human figure to its emotional core. Built with urgent oilstick lines and a restrained palette of blue, black, red, and white, the portrait conveys both vulnerability and intensity. The oversized eyes, exposed teeth, and layered marks reflect Basquiat's ongoing fascination with identity, anatomy, and the expressive power of the human face.

Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 65¾ × 59⅞ in. (167 × 149.8 cm.)

Painted in 1984, Pre-Agrav is a powerful example of Basquiat's ability to distill emotion into a single commanding figure.

Thick black contours, bold reds, and vivid yellow lines frame a mask-like face that appears both confrontational and vulnerable.

The title, Pre-Agrav, remains enigmatic, inviting multiple interpretations while reinforcing Basquiat's fascination with language, identity, and expression.

Medium: Acrylic, oilstick, and mixed media on canvas.

Painted during one of Basquiat's most celebrated periods, Untitled (Solanamum) layers anatomy, masks, symbols, handwritten text, and expressive color into a composition that feels both chaotic and deliberate.

The central crowned faces and fragmented imagery reflect Basquiat's fascination with identity, history, language, and power.

The second image shows Basquiat posing with the painting in his studio, offering a rare glimpse of the artist alongside the unfinished work.

Medium: Acrylic, oilstick, and spray paint on canvas
Dimensions: 78 1/8 × 72 in. (199.5 × 182.9 cm.)

One of Basquiat's iconic early paintings, Untitled (1981) combines expressive anatomy, bold gestural marks, and his unmistakable visual language into a powerful portrait.

The skeletal figure, with both hands raised, radiates urgency and emotion, while layers of color, symbols, and energetic linework reveal the raw intensity that defined Basquiat's breakthrough period.

Medium: Acrylic and oilstick on wood panel
Dimensions: 72 × 48 in. (182.8 × 121.9 cm)

Painted during Basquiat's landmark year of 1982, this untitled work features one of his most iconic motifs, a crowned skeletal figure holding a bone.

Executed in acrylic and oilstick on a wood panel, the painting combines expressive linework, layered color, and symbols of power, mortality, and identity.

The bold composition reflects Basquiat's ability to merge street art energy with historical and cultural references, creating an image that remains both immediate and open to interpretation.

Medium: Acrylic, spray paint, oilstick, and Xerox collage on panel
Dimensions: 182.9 × 121.9 cm (72 × 48 in.)

Painted during Basquiat's breakthrough year, Untitled (One Eyed Man or Xerox Face) combines acrylic, spray paint, oilstick, and Xerox collage to create a striking layered composition. A fragmented central figure emerges through bold black lines, vivid blocks of red, blue, yellow, and white, while the collaged face hints at Basquiat's fascination with identity, memory, and reproduction.

The work exemplifies his ability to merge painting, drawing, and found imagery into a powerful visual language that continues to invite multiple interpretations.

Medium: Acrylic and oilstick on canvas Dimensions: 183 × 213.5 cm (72 × 84 in.)

Created during Basquiat's breakthrough year, Agony of the Feet combines bold color, expressive linework, and anatomical symbolism into a powerful composition.

The title draws attention to the body, while the painting's fragmented forms, skeletal imagery, and layered marks reflect Basquiat's fascination with the human condition, history, and identity.

As with many of his 1982 works, it invites viewers to interpret its symbols rather than offering a single narrative.

Medium: Acrylic and oilstick on linen

Dimensions: 254 × 289.5 cm (100 × 114 in.)

Painted during the final year of Basquiat's life, The Dingoes That Park Their Brains with Their Gum pairs a striking blue background with sparse, symbolic figures and fragments of text.

The painting balances humor, unease, and mystery, inviting viewers to search for meaning rather than offering easy answers.

Like much of Basquiat's late work, it reflects his continued fascination with language, identity, and the tension between playfulness and mortality.

https://youtu.be/Vz8QiDCOrF4

Medium: Acrylic, oilstick, and pastel on canvas Dimensions: 183 × 122 cm (72 × 48 in.)

A horned black animal stands prominently beneath a red star and beside one of his iconic crowns, while a large anatomical bone anchors the lower half of the composition.

The title, referring to a cut of meat, reinforces Basquiat's recurring interest in anatomy, the body, and mortality.

Combining expressive linework, earthy colors, and symbolic imagery, the painting blends references to power, sacrifice, and identity into a composition that feels both primitive and deeply contemporary.

Medium: Acrylic, oilstick and collage on paper Dimensions: 218.5 × 172.5 cm (86 × 68 in.)

Pharynx (1985) presents a skeletal figure surrounded by anatomical references, expressive linework, and fragmented text. The title points to the throat, fitting Basquiat's recurring fascination with the human body and medical imagery.

Words such as "BLOOD," "FECES," "URINE," and "BILE" evoke bodily systems while transforming clinical language into visual symbols. Bold black contours, vivid blue, yellow, and red accents, and layered collage elements create a composition that feels both raw and intellectually charged, blending anatomy, identity, and expression into one of Basquiat's characteristic visual languages.

Medium: Acrylic and oilstick on canvas Dimensions: 247.5 × 178 cm (97½ × 70 in.)

Created during the final years of his career, this untitled work combines many of Basquiat's recurring themes: skeletal heads, anatomical references, symbolic figures, and layered mark-making.

The composition moves between chaos and structure, with faces, text, and imagery competing for attention while remaining connected through Basquiat's distinctive visual language.

Medium: Mixed media on canvas, Dimensions: 306 × 206 cm

Created during the legendary collaboration between Basquiat, Warhol, and Clemente, Handball combines advertising imagery, fragmented figures, handwritten text, and street-inspired symbolism into a layered composition that reflects the energy of 1980s New York.

The work merges the distinct visual languages of all three artists while capturing the collision of art, commerce, and urban culture that defined the era.

Medium: Acrylic, oilstick, oil, and silkscreen ink on canvas Dimensions: 218.4 × 172.7 cm

Created during the celebrated Basquiat–Warhol collaboration period, GE combines corporate imagery, handwritten symbols, fragmented faces, and a central black figure that reflects the distinct visual languages of both artists.

The work highlights the creative tension between Warhol's fascination with commercial culture and Basquiat's expressive, street-inspired approach, resulting in a composition that feels both structured and spontaneous.