Queen Máxima opens Basquiat exhibition

Due to the opening of the exhibition Basquiat - The artist and his New York scene, SCHUNCK Glaspaleis is closed on Thursday 31 January until 1:00 p.m. Access is restricted to invited guests of the official opening of the exhibition only.

The exhibition tells the story of the work and life of the young Basquiat and contemporaries from his period in New York between 1978 and 1982. The exhibition features early work by Basquiat and his contemporaries, including poetic graffiti texts and large canvases.

Born in New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat gained fame as one of the members of SAMO, an occasional duo of two graffiti artists who described the walls of Manhattan's Lower East Side with enigmatic texts in the late 1970s. In a few years, Basquiat evolved from graffiti artist to internationally recognised artist. He died of an overdose at the age of 27.

Basquiat and his social and artistic context mirror the post-industrial and streetwise character of Heerlen. The closure of the mines gave the city drug, prostitution and vacancy problems in the 1980s and 1990s. At the same time, this background was a breeding ground for a vibrant graffiti, hip-hop and breakdance scene, just like in the New York of the early 1980s.

RVD, no. 298

Image: ©RVD - Jeroen van der Meyde

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