Why Basquiat is still relevant

When I began exploring the art world as a painter, immersing myself in its vast and layered history, I was immediately captivated by the raw, rebellious, graffiti-like visions of Jean-Michel Basquiat. From an Afro-Haitian perspective, I know that I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me—my ancestors—a profound recognition that infuses my practice with meaning and a sense of liberation. Encountering Basquiat was an awakening. To me, he is a spiritual ancestor—a visionary who carried a flame of revolution, creating art with intention, candor, and biting social critique. However, in recent years, a number of people in the art world have raised questions about his legacy and importance to modern artists. Here’s why I believe Basquiat remains relevant today.

In a world where so much is digitized and commodified, there’s a manufactured sameness creeping into everything—a deafening, universalizing force that flattens true vision and radical imagination. This hyper-commercialized world numbs our inner sense, crushes our souls, and erodes our aesthetic compass. Basquiat’s work represents something primal, instinctual, deeply rooted in the gut—a raw aliveness that defies containment or naming. I see his art as an antidote to this pervasive sense of manufactured nihilism, an embodiment of vitality that pushes back against the numbness of our era.

Gold Griot. Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1984

Also let’s be honest: Black issues in America haven’t gone anywhere. African American family income remains the lowest of all demographics in the United States, with little change predicted in the future. Black men are still disproportionately represented in U.S. jails, and Black people continue to face deadly violence from police—asleep in their homes, while jogging, walking back from the grocery store, driving. The cosmic rage, the violent brushstrokes, the unease that Basquiat’s art provokes capture and address the Black experience in a way that feels universal and, today, more essential than ever. Through his work, he confronted the Black American experience, racial inequality, and social justice, channeling his rage and pain into revolutionary concepts that society is still grappling with. Basquiat’s life embodied the colonial struggle of an artist navigating the modern world.

Beef Ribs Longhorn. Jean-Michel Basquiat, 1982

Basquiat remains a paragon—his art didn’t just challenge conventional boundaries; it shattered them. He courageously explored his personal history and identity, inviting us into his world with unfiltered curiosity and unapologetic expression. Basquiat stands as proof that the dominance of certain art forms can be overthrown, like dismantling a regime. His journey from graffiti to high art embodies the hero’s journey, a testament that dreams can come true, even in an art world often defined by conservative, exclusionary institutions. His work represents a broader legacy and much-needed perspective of challenging the establishment—something needed today more than ever.