A New Start
Basquiat at the Brant Foundation, NYC
There is a new exhibition space in New York City. With numerous institutions and galleries in the city, this might not be a surprise, but the new outpost of the Brant Foundation is a spectacular addition. Located in Manhattan’s East Village, the space is located in a gorgeously renovated substation, which also once served as a studio and home for the artist Walter de Maria. The artist who was chosen for this inaugural show was a natural choice. He often roamed the streets near the Brant Foundation, and is forever associated with the East Village and its heady ‘80s art scene. The artist I am alluding to is none other than Jean-Michel Basquiat, and this show is a revelatory exploration of his career.
Organized in collaboration with the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, the Brant Foundation and LVMH were able to cull private collections and museums for a treasure trove of Basquiats. Thoughtfully displayed throughout the airy and massive rooms of the Foundation, the visceral and vibrant work of the Neo-Expressionist seems to ring out more clearly than ever before. In an age where the issues of race, identity politics, and culture at large are in the forefront of our minds, this show has a vital and beautiful urgency.
Ironically, such an elegant display must have been unimaginable when Basquiat was working in the 1980s. The East Village was practically a war zone where artists just happened to find refuge and cheap rent, but today it is home to this sleek and modern palace devoted to contemporary art. In fact, the Brant Foundation is just one of many galleries and museums that now litter the East Village and Lower East Side. The times are indeed changing, but the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat feels just as important today.
