#jean-michel-basquiat

#jean-michel-basquiat

When a 22-year-old Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88) was asked how he typically began a piece, his answer was simple: "I suppose I would start with a head." That instinct-almost a reflex-sits at the core of a remarkable group of early works on paper that remained largely unseen during his lifetime. The Basquiat: Headstrong exhibition, which opens this month at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, is set to become the first comprehensive showing devoted to the artist's depictions of the human head.

The year 1981 was a turning point for Basquiat's career, marking his transition from New York street artist to international art-market darling. That year, the 20-year-old artist made his first painting sale to Blondie singer Debbie Harry and took part in his first gallery exhibition, a group show called New York/New Wave at PS1 in Long Island City under the name SAMO, the graffiti tag he shared with his high-school friend Al Diaz.

Albino & Preto has carved out a reputation for blurring the lines between martial arts gear and lifestyle design, and its latest project might be the most striking example yet. The brand has teamed up with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat to release a collection that merges the spirit of Brazilian jiu-jitsu with the raw, unfiltered creativity of one of modern art's most iconic figures.