A few years following its exhibition dedicated to the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris is organizing a retrospective dubbed Basquiat x Warhol, À quatre mains (four hands).
The two artists’ paths crossed for the first time in 1979, when Basquiat was selling postcards to Warhol. The official meeting between Warhol and Basquiat took place three years later, through the gallerist and collector Bruno Bischofberge when he suggested they have lunch. Two hours after this lunch, Basquiat offered Andy Warhol a painting, still wet, representing the two artists side by side. This painting, titled Dos Cabezas (1982), was the birth of their deep, complex friendship.
Photo courtesy of The Andy Warhol Foundation For The Visual Arts, Inc
The following month, Warhol and Basquiat took on a series of paintings and works on paper. Their goals overlapped. The first goal – support of the artistic establishment – was in search of change, renewal and honesty. The second goal, freed from this forceful elitism, nevertheless aspires to a form of combined recognition. The world of one exerts an undeniable dominance over that of the other. Basquiat’s free story and wild technique intrigued Warhol, who had become an almost arrogant figure in contemporary art. This notoriety in turn fascinated Basquiat, who was just starting to make a name for himself in the artistic world.
Thanks to Warhol, Basquiat was introduced to serigraphy. The two artists listened to each other, observed each other, and painted in an exploratory form. Their styles are juxtaposed, then merge in common works: dear to Warhol, the symbols of industrial society and media recognition are disfigured by the crude and unpredictable approach of Basquiat. Together, they created around 160 canvases, some of which are among the most successful of their respective careers. The most famous installation remains Ten Punching Bags (Last Supper) (circa 1985).
Though their story ends tragically with the premature death of both artists a few months apart, Warhol and Basquiat leave behind them a testamentary, individual and joint work. The outlines of an obvious chemistry are shown there, governed by mutual respect and admiration. “I paint like Jean-Michel. I think the paintings we do together are better when you don’t know who did what,” Warhol once said.
In the spring of 2023, the Louis Vuitton Foundation will launch Basquiat x Warhol, à quatre mains, a retrospective bringing together more than a hundred canvases produced by the two artists. Under the curatorship of Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer, individual works by Warhol and Basquiat will also be exhibited, as well as photos by Michael Halsband dating from 1985. In order to restore the ebullience of downtown New York in the 1980s, the Louis Vuitton Foundation will also display the work of Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer and Kenny Scharf – a swarm of artists with much influence.
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