Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled,1981.Acrylic and oilstick on canvas, 244.48 x 182.88 cm. The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection. Photography credit: Douglas M. Parker Studio, Los Angeles © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2014). Licensed by Artestar, New York
February 7 – May 10, 2015
Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Jean-Michel Basquiat took the New York City art world by storm in the early 1980s and gained international recognition by creating powerful and expressive works that confronted issues of racism, identity and social tension. Although his career was cut short by his untimely death at age 27, his groundbreaking drawings and paintings continue to challenge perceptions, provoke vital dialogues and empower us to think critically about the world around us. Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now’s the Time marks the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in Canada and will feature close to 85 large-scale paintings and drawings from private collections and public museums across Europe and North America.
Guest-curated by renowned Austrian art historian, curator and critic Dieter Buchhart, the AGO’s exhibition will be the first thematic examination of the artist’s work. Inspired as much by high art — Abstract Expressionism and Conceptualism — as by jazz, sports, comics, remix culture and graffiti, Basquiat translated the world around him into a provocative visual language.
An AGO-produced exhibition catalogue will be available in English with excerpts from Olivier Berggruen, Francesco Pellizzi, Glenn O’Brien, Christian Campbell and Franklin Sirmans.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Obnoxious Liberals, 1982. Acrylic, oilstick, and spray paint on canvas, 172.72 x 259.08 cm. The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Collection © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2014. Licensed by Artestar, New York
Members’ Preview days are: February 4, 5 and 6 (timed tickets)
Members-Only Friday Evenings: February 6 | March 13 | April 10 | May 1 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm
Gallery hours: Tue & Thur – Sun: 10 – 5:30, Wed 10 – 8:30 p.m; Extended Friday hours (5:30 – 8:30 pm): February 13, 20 and 27, 2015
It is a time ticketed exhibition. For booking your tickets please go to: http://www.ago.net/basquiat-opening-times-ticket-information
For Events accompanying the show please check: http://www.ago.net/basquiat-events