Today’s Artistic Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
Jean-Michel Basquiat started on the road to becoming an internationally known artist by spray-painting the sides of buildings in Manhattan in 1977, when he was seventeen years old. What made his drawing stand out from the standard graffiti were cryptic messages he included that left many curious as to their meaning. An article in the Village Voice ultimately revealed his identity. His talent was encouraged and before long, Basquiat was heralded as a leading painter of the neo-expressionist movement. Even though he rose from poverty to acquire accolades and wealth, Basquiat still preferred the old heroin haunts that he had frequented during his years as a street artist. He died in his loft studio in Soho, New York, from a speedball (mixing heroin and cocaine), at the age of twenty-seven, in 1988. In 2007, his wall-size piece of art “Profit I’ sold for more than fourteen million dollars.
Stomach scar courtesy splenectomy after getting hit by a car at age 8.
Culled from: Genius and Heroin: The Illustrated Catalogue of Creativity, Obsession, and Reckless Abandon Through the Ages
Incidentally, the scars on Basquiat’s abdomen resulted from him being hit by a car when he was 8 years old – an injury which resulted in a splenectomy.
And I ask you – would you pay fourteen million dollars for this painting?
Morbid Art Du Jour!
Dan LuVisi is warped. He likes to re-imagine cartoon characters as criminals and even comes up with entire storylines for his disturbing images. It takes all kinds, as we know. (Thanks to Anna for the link.)
Your Favorite Cartoon Characters Reimagined As Psycho Killers Will Ruin Your Childhood