May 28th, 2021

35 Beautiful Basquiat Tattoos

What's your favorite Basquiat piece?

When you think of influential artists, many often think of people from Europe who’ve been dead for hundreds of years. However, many famous and powerful fine artists made their mark in the 20th and 21st centuries. One of these artists, is Jean-Michel Basquiat. Basquiat was born in Brooklyn in 1960 and he developed a love for art from an early age. Basquiat began creating graffiti in Lower Manhattan as a teenager, using the tag SAMO (same old shit). During the 1980s, he began gaining acclaim and he sold his first painting, “Cadillac Moon” to Debbie Harry for just $200 in 1981. He then began gaining recognition in the fine art world and began collaborating with Andy Warhol. Basquiat spent his last years traveling the world and breaking major boundaries in the art world, before he passed away in 1988 at the age of 27 from a heroin overdose.

To this day, his art continues to make an incredible impact. He’s influenced countless artists and art enthusiasts, many of whom have paid homage to his work or likeness through tattoos. Basquiat tattoos are incredibly prevalent, even ornamenting many celebrities including actors Ruby Rose and Chris Rock. We’ve curated some of our favorite tattoos paying tribute to the great Jean-Michel Basquiat, take a peek at our picks in the gallery below and let us know your favorite piece from this list in the comments section on social media.

 

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