40+ Jean-Michel Basquiat Quotes On Death, Art And Art And Creativity

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist who rose to fame in the 1980s for his neo-expressionist paintings. His work often incorporated social commentary about race and class, and he was one of the first African-American artists to achieve international success. He died in 1988 at the age of 27 from a drug overdose. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Jean-Michel Basquiat on death, art, life.

Top 10 Jean-Michel Basquiat Quotes

1. I wanted to be a star, not a gallery mascot.
2. I don't listen to what art critics say. I don't know anybody who needs a critic to find out what art is.
3. Every single line means something.
4. The black person is the protagonist in most of my paintings. I realized that I didn't see many paintings with black people in them.
5. I like kids' work more than work by real artists any day.
6. I was a really lousy artist as a kid. Too abstract expressionist; or I'd draw a big ram's head, really messy. I'd never win painting contests. I remember losing to a guy who did a perfect Spiderman.
7. Since I was seventeen I thought I might be a star. I'd think about all my heroes, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix... I had a romantic feeling about how these people became famous.
8. There are about 30 words around you all the time, like 'thread' or 'exit.'
9. The country makes me more paranoid, you know? I think the crazy people out there are little crazier.
10. My basic influence had probably been Peter Max.

Jean-Michel Basquiat Short Quotes

• I start a picture and I finish it.
• Believe it or not, I can actually draw.
• I wanted to build up a name for myself.
• I played a guitar with a file, and a synthesizer.
• Most Young Kings Get Their Heads Cut Off.
• I cross out words so you will see them more
• SAMO as an end to to mindwash religion, nowhere politics and bogus philosophy.
• I'm not a real person. I'm a legend.
• Some days I can't get an idea, and I think, 'Man, I'm just washed up,' but it's just a mood.
• Fire will attract more attention than any other cry for help.

Jean-Michel Basquiat Quotes About Life

I don't think about art when I'm working. I try to think about life. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I thought I was going to be a bum the rest of my life. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I start a picture and I finish it. I don't think about art while I work. I try to think about life. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat Quotes About Artist

I have done only two portraits: one of the artist Francesco Clemente and another of Andy Warhol. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I am not a black artist, I am an artist. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

My favorite Twombly is 'Apollo and the Artist,' with the big 'Apollo' written across it. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat Quotes About Painting

I have a painting where somebody's holding a chicken, and underneath the chicken is somebody's head. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I had some money, I made the best paintings ever. I was completely reclusive, worked a lot, took a lot of drugs. I was awful to people. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I want to make paintings that look as if they were made by a child. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

The more I paint the more I like everything. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

If I'm away from painting for a week, I get bored. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

Occasionally, when I get mad at a woman, I'll do some great, awful painting about her. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat Famous Quotes And Sayings

I had very few friends. There was nobody I could trust. I left home when I was fifteen. I lived in Washington Square Park. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I cross out words so you will see them more; the fact that they are obscured makes you want to read them. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

For a while, I was drawing on good paper, but now I've gone back to the bad stuff. I put matte medium on it. If you put matte medium on it, it seals up, so it doesn't really matter. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

Medicine men live in caves. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I wanted to be a cartoonist when I was young. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

I was a cute kid. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

Charles Saatchi has never liked my work at all. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

If you wanna talk about influence, man, then you've got to realize that influence is not influence. It's simply someone's idea going through my new mind. — Jean-Michel Basquiat

Life Lessons by Jean-Michel Basquiat

1. Jean-Michel Basquiat's work teaches us to look for beauty and meaning in the everyday, to question the status quo, and to use our art to express our innermost thoughts and feelings.
2. His work also encourages us to think critically about the world around us and to challenge the limits of what is considered socially acceptable.
3. Lastly, his work serves as a reminder that art has the power to create change and to inspire others to do the same.