Painter Jean-Michel Basquiat was born on December 22, 1960, in New York, USA.
He was born to a Puerto Rican immigrant mother and a Haitian immigrant father. He began drawing from an early age, and at age 17, he and his friends began spray painting on subways and slum walls. His signed paintings of the fictional character "SAMO" were highly acclaimed, and he held solo exhibitions with the support of street art pioneer Keith Haring and others.
He is known for his bold compositions, exceptional use of color, and powerful messages. He produced over 1,250 drawings and 900 paintings, bringing a breath of fresh air to the art world of the 1980s. In 1983, he met and collaborated with Andy Warhol. In the late 1980s, Basquiat gradually became addicted to drugs, and died of a heroin overdose at the age of 27 in August 1988. Since then, he has continued to attract attention even after his death, with the release of the film "Basquiat" (1996), directed by Julian Schnabel and starring Jeffrey Wright, and the documentary "Basquiat: The Art of Living," directed by Tamra Davis.