The Brant Foundation: Jean Michel Basquiat

This new building is a marvel and should be visited regardless of the artist on display. The building was a former power station that has been 'transformed' into an incredible viewing space. There is a copious amount of light and air, and the art looks incredible on the walls. Nonetheless, to see it with the incredible grouping of Basquiat works is next level amazing. I will note that I was in attendance with a well-informed art group, people who have 'binged' on this artist; truth is, these collectors knew the artist and have absorbed his contribution to contemporary art and culture over 40 years. The grouping of works came from a show in Paris organized in collaboration with the Fondation Louis Vuitton. This inaugural Brant exhibition brings together 70 Basquiats, created from 1980-1987 (at age 19-26), gathered from museums, private collections and the Brant Collection itself. Interestingly, to see Basquiat at this converted building in the East Village was perfectly fitting, as the art scene of the 1980's centered around a grittier, grungier Manhattan. Hanging with the likes of Madonna and Andy Warhol, Basquiat became an art-world darling and lived on the edge, ultimately dying of an accidental drug overdose at 27. Posthumously, his paintings continue to take the art-world by storm. See for yourself why, and maybe binge on Basquiat!