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| Photograph by Alexis Adler Basquiat in the apartment, 1981. |
I'd never heard of Alexis Adler until today, after learning about her photos that she'd taken of Jean-Michel Basquiat when they lived together as a couple for a year before he'd become the art star that he was. The exhibit entitled Basquiat Before Basquiat, consists of her early photos that are being displayed the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver Colorado.
I listened to an interview that Alexis Adler gave today. She spoke of her relationship with Jean-Michel Basquiat during the 70s and 80s.
I've long admired Jean Michel Basquiat's work and it's another sad tragic story of a very gifted and deep thinking individual who died much too young because of addiction and depression.
The part of this story of Jean Michel Basquiat's life and death, including many artists like him, and what makes it all the more poignantly sad, is the existing dark underbelly of the art market. The way many bottom feeding art collectors flip the art of dead artists, mostly to line their own pockets. It would be an understatement to say it certainly leaves me feeling very sad to say the least, if not cynical.
3 comments:
Neat to hear from someone who knew Jean well. Adam introduced me to his work many years ago, so raw and compelling. So sad that he died so young.
Yes I agree, but I didn't find her very compelling ;) I wonder if she got big bucks for all of the items she had of JMB's? Christie's had a law suit against them I do know because his family estate claimed that many of the art pieces were fake.
I think his personal problems, depression and addiction combined with his sudden fame at such a young age at that period of time proved too much. His heroin addiction killed him. Very sad. It was said many took advantage of him.
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