New Acquisitions

New York City’s lower eastside was the center of a growing youthful art scene in the 1980s, with works inspired by contemporary urban culture. Photographer Ari Marcopoulos got to know one of the scene's most famous rising stars, Jean-Michel Basquiat, through some friends they had in common. By the late 1980s, Basquiat was a successful painter of international renown. His work reflected the spirit of the times, influenced by graffiti, jazz, hip hop, and popular culture.

Marcopoulos found Basquiat reluctant to be photographed at first and noted he was "a complicated person, a young art star, black, in a white world." Yet the ever-affable photographer managed to forge a bond with the artist and shot a series of portraits, including the image at left, prior to Basquiat’s death from an accidental drug overdose in 1988. Taken in Basquiat’s studio, the portrait is an intimate impression of the artist, at ease, laid back, and seemingly very comfortable in front of the camera. The photo is part of a larger portfolio of artists’ portraits by Marcopoulos that includes images of Richard Serra, Kiki Smith, Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Michael Heizer, and David Hammons. All were recently purchased by the DIA and are on view in the exhibition In the Company of Artists.

Marcopoulos was born in Amsterdam in 1957. As a young man, he became interested in photography through looking at magazines. He moved to New York City in 1979, assisting other photographers and artists, including Andy Warhol. His reputation as an insider gave him access to many creative luminaries and a body of work emerged featuring photographs of New York’s many artists, writers, and musicians, several of which appeared in the 1987 book Portraits from the Studio and the Street. More recently, his work, including both still photography and video, has focused on the subcultures surrounding youthful pastimes and pursuits, often through investigation of the lifestyles of skate- and snowboarders, musicians, and other contemporary urban dwellers.

Nancy W. Barr
Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs



Ari Marcopoulos, American; Jean- Michel Basquiat, 1988 (printed in 2008); gelatin silver print. Museum Purchase, Graphic Arts Council Photographic Fund
© Ari Marcopoulos
courtesy The Project