Jean-Michel Basquiat, American painter, was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 22, 1960. With one foot in the street and another in the hype world of Art, he embodies the transition from the streets and New York subways to chic galleries of a New York in full redesign and in full explosion, in the 80s.

We must not forget that Basquiat already had roots in New York in the nascent hip-hop scene, since his first graffiti with his sidekick Al diaz, under the name of SAMO, right down to the design of the cover and the complicated production of Beat bop, a single from beatmakers and street artists Rammelzee et K-Rob. Before devoting himself entirely to painting, he trained in particular with Vincent Gallo, Bad fools, test pattern, Channel 9 and finally Gray.

Music is an integral part of the pictorial practice of Jean-Michel Basquiat as a sign, symbol and sound. Instruments abound, as well as references to various musical genres such as opera, classical music, jazz, bebop, hip-hop and rap.

For Basquiat, music was a message, especially on the transatlantic migration of cultural forms and on the brutal reality of racism experienced by black artists.