![]() ![]() A common theory is that the three-point crown signifies the letter W to stand for Warhol, whom Basquiat befriended and greatly admired.īut we know from his interview with Anthony Haden-Guest in True Colors: The Real Life of the Art World that Basquiat was very interested in the power of logos, explaining his SAMO© graffiti tag as such. It’s interesting that the crowns in this earlier work have more points, whereas in paintings that follow it took on a simpler three-pointed shape. Red Kings, 1981Ībrahams interprets the figure on the left side of the Red Kings painting as Basquiat himself, and suggests the skull figure on the right as representing Pablo Picasso. ![]() On his fascinating website, Every Painter Paints Himself, art historian Simon Abrahams explores the first two of these interpretations, suggesting that Basquiat was carrying on an established convention of artists throughout history painting their own likenesses into their portraits of kings. The artist’s association with people he considered kings.Its appropriation by other artists and designers, whether in homage or blatant heist, authenticates its position as an icon that deeply resonates in today’s culture.īut what does the prolific crown emblem mean, and why was the artist so obsessed with it? While many critics have weighed in, most interpretations boil down to a handful of ideas about what the crown symbolizes: Jean-Michel Basquiat’s crown motif appears so often in his art it has become a recognizable symbol in popular culture, appearing on everything from t-shirts to tattoos. Here are 19 examples of crowns in Basquiat’s paintings, along with musings on their meanings.īasquiat’s crown evokes a subversive, emotional aesthetic. ![]()
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