After Jean-Michel Basquiat

Basquiat created this flyer on the occasion of a performance by his band, Test Pattern (later renamed to Gray), at the much fabled downtown art space, “A’s", December 5th, 1979, at 330 Broome Street, New York.

• After Jean Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).
• Published by the artist, 1979.
• This work is presented unframed.

A much historical work, notably exhibited and catalogued as part of the 2017 Basquiat London Boom for Real exhibition at the Barbican Center and more recently at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MBAM) & Paris Philharmonic.

Basquiat's unique squiggly line, signature vertically spaced "E", use of random technical information, and text, sometimes crossed out, is already apparent in this most seminal early work. Basquiat playfully includes, then crosses his name out on the mid lower left alongside fellow band members.

From Jean-Michel Basquiat: A Biography, Fretz, 2010:

“Jean-Michel did all the posters for his band. One of the early public performances was in December 1979 at A’s, a loft at 330 Broome Street... Arleen Schloss, the owner, also let Jean-Michel stay there at times and use it as a studio for his “MAN MADE” clothing… [The hand-drawn poster for the gig] is done in his recognizable style, with strange arrows and notations added underneath. Some of the words are crossed out, and there is a dotted line of ink splashed through the middle of the page. A photocopied micro-cassette finishes off the look, suggesting some kind of sound, but not conventional music.”

Basquiat: Boom for Real; Barbican London; September 2017-January 2018.

Museum of the City of New York (NY, New Music: 1980-1986): 2021.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music): 2022.

Basquiat Soundtracks: Paris Philharmonic (2023).

Jeffrey Deitch, Diego Cortez, Franklin Sirmans and Nicola Vassell, Jean-Michel Basquiat 1981: The Studio of the Street, Milan, 2007, p. 57.

Basquiat: Boom For Real; Buchhart, Nairne & Johnson (2017) p.147.

New York University Fales Library Collection.

Wednesdays at A’s (Brévart, Ettlinger).

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: Seeing Loud: Basquiat and Music (Buchhart, Bessières, Desmarais); entry 154 & 155.