Jean-Michel Basquiat; b. Brooklyn, New York, 1960–1988; Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump; 1982; Acrylic, crayon, and spray paint on canvas; Private collection; © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Independence Ave. at 7th St., SW
Washington, DC
Basquiat × Banksy is an exhibition of two major paintings, one by Jean-Michel Basquiat (b. Brooklyn, New York, 1960–1988), the other by Banksy (anonymous; b. near Bristol, England). Placed in dialogue, Basquiat’s Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump (1982) and Banksy’s response, Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search (2018) reveal throughlines between street art, contemporary art, and the popular imagination.
Basquiat × Banksy marks the first time that artwork by either artist is presented at the nation’s museum of modern and contemporary art. The exhibition also includes 20 small works on paper and wood from the collection of Larry Warsh which were made by Basquiat between 1979 and 1985 and demonstrate the artist’s deep familiarity with art history, his use of language and his signature motifs, such as skulls and crowns. The film Downtown 81 (shot in 1980–1981, released in 2000), a send-up of the denizens of Manhattan’s ’80s avant-garde starring Basquiat as a struggling artist named “Jean,” will also be on view.
