Basquiat: Rage To Riches

Synopsis

During his short life, Jean-Michel Basquiat took the 1980s art world by storm. The work of this former downtown New York graffiti artist is now considered alongside stars of twentieth-century painting such as Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. This BBC feature-length documentary includes exclusive interviews with Basquiat's sisters - Lisane and Jeanine Basquiat - who have never before talked about their brother and his art for a TV documentary. Other contributors include major art dealers, such as Larry Gagosian, Bruno Bischofberger, and Mary Boone, who exhibited Basquiat as his reputation rocketed to art world fame. With striking candour, Basquiat's most intimate friends, lovers and fellow artists tell of a handsome and charismatic personality. The beating heart of this documentary is his work, and the ways in which it embodied and reflected breakthroughs in music, poetry, and modern art.