In 1982 at the age of just 22 years old, Jean-Michel Basquiat would produce this Untitled skull painting. A powerful and dazzling image that mixes text, colour, symbolism and mark-making in a raw and uncensored explosion. In a single painting, he would use his instinctive power of visual language to say everything he wanted to say. About America – about art – and about being black in both worlds.

Throughout his paintings, there was a desire to depict the Black community in unprecedented ways. In a late interview, Basquiat said, “Black people are never really portrayed realistically…. I mean, not even portrayed in modern art enough.”

Read: Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Enduring Fame: Why the ’80s Art Star Remains Relevant Now

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