Despite being largely associated to New York City, Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s time in Los Angeles also proved to be a pivotal period during the artist’s prolific career. A forthcoming exhibition at Gagosian exclusively spotlights the work he created while posted in Venice between November 1982 and May 1984.
Housed at the gallery’s Beverly Hills location, Made on Market Street is curated by Fred Hoffman with Larry Gagosian and consists of 30 of the over 100 works Basquiat created while in LA, including several of his most important paintings. “Los Angeles has always been a great city for artists and Jean-Michel seemed to find it a refreshing change from New York,” noted Larry Gagosian in a statement. “While the immensity of his talent was immediately apparent, it was nonetheless a highlight of my own career to work with him, to introduce him to Los Angeles, and to witness the amazing impact that his art and legacy have made on our culture.”
The title of the show references the street where Basquiat lived during his residency at Gagosian in the fall of 1982. After opening his first show with the gallery, the young artist came back to LA the following summer, setting up his own studio just several doors down. “One night,” recounts Gagosian, “while Basquiat was working, he went outside to a fenced-in courtyard just behind the studio, where he encountered an unhoused person sleeping. After this incident the courtyard’s fence was removed, but instead of disposing of the wooden slats Basquiat integrated them as supports for some of his most iconic paintings — Flexible, Gold Griot, and M (all 1984), all of which will be exhibited as a group in Made on Market Street for the first time since they were created.”
The exhibition will run from March 7 to June 1.
Gagosian
456 North Camden Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
