Jean-Michel Basquiat

Basquiat illustrated and printed this flyer for his band Gray in 1980.

• Jean-Michel Basquiat (American, 1960-1988).
• Unsigned from an edition of unknown size.
• Xerox printed on paper.
• Accompanied by a letter of provenance.
• This work is presented unframed.

Executed similarly in the manner of his well-documented Anti-Product Cards of the period, Basquiat draws over a found image, then employs his famous William Burroughs-style "cut-up" technique, completing the piece by abstractly scrawling the word "Gray" above.

First called Channel 9, then Test Pattern, the Basquiat co-founded group settled on the name "Gray" after Basquiat's fondness for the textbook Gray's Anatomy. Gray was an experimental New York Noise band defined by jazz improvisation, spoken word poetry, sound looping and everything in between. Gray members included co-founder Michael Holman, Nick Taylor, Shannon Dawson, Wayne Clifford and eventually Vincent Gallo.

"Jean-Michel did all the posters for the band" (see Fretz, Basquiat A Biography p.40), and the group most notably played the likes of historic downtown clubs such as CBGB, The Mudd Club, Squat Theater and Hurrah's.

The late Glenn O'Brien once noted that Basquiat approached music as a "Picasso-Charlie Parker-Miles Davis" collage. Basquiat, who played clarinet, synthesizer and a number of hybrid instruments, once said of Gray, "We were trying to be incomplete, abrasive, oddly beautiful." A description much in line with the nature of his art going forward.

Based on the nature of how "Gray" is written, it's likely Basquiat was influenced by the mysterious religious-zealot-turned-urban-legend/street artist famous for key scratching "Pray" on hundreds of New York City building doors and phone booths in a similar style.

Obtained from a prominent Basquiat Gray band-member.