The art world will be upended in Miami from November 29, 2021, to December 4, 2021. That is when Art Basil, a world-renown art gallery will serve as host to a week-long Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibit. But this isn't just any gallery showcase, it's also one for the modern age.
Basquiat burst onto the art world in the early 80s with his hard-edged neo-expressionist social commentaries long before the world even knew what that was.
Often using obscured faces and textual narratives to depict class struggle, political upheaval, and pop culture references to assassinate an imbalance of power, Basquiat struck a chord with all kinds of artists at the beginning, including Debbie Harry from the rock group Blondie, and punk icon David Bowie.
Sadly, at the age of only 27, Basquiat passed away leaving behind seminal accomplishments for future generations to reflect upon. His works have sold for upwards of $40 million.
Art Basil is bringing this prolific artist in both his spirit and medium to their Miami studios in what could be described in part as a modern crypto-auction next month. This exclusive event will highlight the Our Friend, Jean exhibitioncurated by The BishopGalleryand hosted by visual social media enterprise Triller.
The week-long experience will feature digital and physical auctions, celebrity guest speakers, live painting, pop-ups, integrations, live musical performances, and surprise non-fungible token (NFT) drops.
The NFTs are probably what is most anticipated about this event. This futuristic way of art ownership is finding its footing on the heels of an uptick in interest over cryptocurrency. Much like bitcoin and other forms of digital money, NFT buyers own a unique code that can never be replicated.
One famous NFT purchase was that of Jack Dorsey, the co-creator of Twitter. Someone purchased the NFT of his first tweet for almost $3 million.
For the first time, during the event, an incredible selection of NFT drops featuring rare and personal photos of Basquiat will be available on the Trillernfts.com marketplace with purchase opportunities onsite.
A total of six NFT’s (five online, one exclusively for guests in attendance) will be auctioned off at a private, invite-only VIP party.
In addition to the auction, there will be several main stage moments, a physical donation of an NFT to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, exclusive access and first look opportunities, live discussions with friends of Basquiat, the physical gallery experience, NFT auction room with exclusive in-person only pieces, musical performances, and a celebrity guest speaker. The event will end with a musical performance by A-list artists.
During the exhibition, Basquiat's physical artworks will be on loan from collectors who knew Jean-Michel as friends, including co-curator and photographer Alexis Adler, and Al Diaz, Co-Creator of SAMO©.
Their rare photograph collection shines a light on Basquiat's personal life like never before. They will be sharing their remembrances and untold stories about their friendship with Basquiat throughout the week. Guests can register for an invite for free at TrillerArtBasel.com.
A total of 20 plus works will be displayed, including drawings, writings, apparel, and mixed media collages. The group of collectors consists of Jane Diaz, Hilary Jaeger, Katie Taylor,Lucy Sante.
The Triller X The Bishop Gallery Basquiat event takes place from November 29, 2021, to December 4, 2021, at Art Basil located in Wynwood at BLK Miami Studios, located at 2060 NW 1st Ave, Miami, FL.
A full lineup of dates and times can be found HERE.
Images, including header provided by permission by The Bishop Gallery: By permission of Stevenson Dunn.