Basquiat teamed up with Al Diaz to write enig­matic graf­fiti state­ments across the city under the pseu­donym SAMO©. Soon he was drawing in his own blood, collaging base­ball cards, creating his own clothing, and painting on doors, window frames, and enor­mous home-made canvases. Today, Basquiat (1960–1988) is recog­nised as one of the most signif­i­cant artists of the 20th century. Having come of age in the post-punk under­ground art scene in Lower Manhattan, he conquered the art world and gained wide­spread inter­na­tional recog­ni­tion, becoming the youngest artist ever to partic­i­pate in docu­menta in Kassel in 1982.</p><p>Basquiat’s raw, vibrant imagery is matched by a star­tling erudi­tion, seen in the frag­ments of bold, capi­talised text that abound in his works. These bear witness to his ency­clopaedic inter­ests and his expe­ri­ence as a young artist with no formal training. More than thirty years since Basquiat’s last major exhi­bi­tion in Germany, the SCHIRN is presenting a major survey devoted to this Amer­ican artist, organ­ised in collab­o­ra­tion with Barbican Art Gallery, London. The exhi­bi­tion is also the first to focus on Basquiat’s rela­tion­ship to music, text, film and tele­vi­sion, situ­ating the artist’s formi­dable talents within a broader cultural context.</p><p><br></p>" />