Earlier this week, the flim Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child, was released in its enterity. The flim, directed by Basquiat's friend Tamra Davis, features unbefore seen footage of the prolific artist and troubled child taken by Davis just s few years before the artist's passing.
While in Miami last December taking in the sights and sounds of Art Basel Miami Beach, I was able to attend a free preview of this film. Davis and several of Basqiuat's close friends shared their stories of his work and Basquiat the man. The entire thing was moving in a way that only people from that time in New York can move you. They painted a picture of the dirty underworld as a glamorous think tank for writers, artists, musicians and any other creative life force. From this dirty, dark, glamorous world Jean -Michel Basquiat rose to take street art from the sides of buildings to canvas to the world and was ultimately re-claimed by it.
The flim isn't really the stereotypical artist's bio filled with sex, drugs, drinking and genius. It does contain all those things but more importantly it is a snapshot of a man by the people who knew him best.
In all honesty cleaning up the film that I saw would be inconsistent with Basquiat's work and image, then again I kinda have a thing for rough edges.
"build a fort, set it on fire" - Jean-Michel Basquiat
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