Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the most well-known Black artists in the modern era. Born Dec. 22, 1960, to a Haitian-American father and Puerto Rican mother, the Brooklyn native got his start as a street artist before becoming a star in the art world, hanging with the likes of Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Madonna (who he had a brief relationship with.)
Suggested Reading
The more than 1,500 drawings and 600 paintings he created throughout his career were heavily influenced by his heritage and his feelings about the underrepresentation of Black people in art…