WARHOL AND BASQUIAT: THE TWO HOUR PAINTING THAT IGNITED ART'S WILDEST COLLAB — Quick Facts
Bruno Bischofberger introduced them at lunch on October 4, 1982, leading to Basquiat's instant 'Dos Cabezas' painting. They created over 160 collaborative works from 1983-1985, merging Pop Art with Neo-Expressionism.
Key Data Points
- Bruno Bischofberger introduced them at lunch on October 4, 1982, leading to Basquiat's instant 'Dos Cabezas' painting
- They created over 160 collaborative works from 1983-1985, merging Pop Art with Neo-Expressionism
- Their 1985 Tony Shafrazi Gallery exhibition was brutally panned, with critics calling Basquiat Warhol's 'mascot'
Frequently Asked
- How did Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat meet?
- They were introduced by Swiss art dealer Bruno Bischofberger at lunch on October 4, 1982, at Warhol's Factory. Warhol initially didn't recognize Basquiat, whom he had casually supported years earlier when Basquiat was painting T-shirts in Greenwich Village under the name 'Samo'.
- What was the first painting Warhol and Basquiat created together?
- The first collaborative work was 'Dos Cabezas' (Two Heads), a double portrait that Basquiat painted in just two hours after leaving their initial lunch meeting. Warhol was so impressed by the work that he told Bischofberger he was 'really jealous' of it.
- How many paintings did Warhol and Basquiat create together?
- They created over 160 collaborative works between 1983 and 1985, merging Warhol's Pop Art style with Basquiat's Neo-Expressionist approach.
- What was the artistic process like when Warhol and Basquiat collaborated?
- Warhol would typically start with corporate logos, headlines, and brand symbols, while Basquiat would attack them with raw, expressionistic mark-making and paint over Warhol's work. According to Keith Haring, who witnessed their process, anything one artist created could be completely painted over by the other within seconds.
- How were Warhol and Basquiat's collaborations received by critics?
- Their 1985 Tony Shafrazi Gallery exhibition was brutally panned by critics, who dismissed Basquiat as Warhol's 'mascot' rather than viewing the collaboration as a genuine artistic partnership. The critical reception was largely negative despite the prolific output of their two-year collaboration.