Supreme is linking up with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat for what looks like another solid artist collaboration. For those less familiar, Basquiat was a Brooklyn-born painter who came up through the downtown graffiti scene in the late '70s under the tag SAMO©, eventually becoming one of the most influential artists of the 20th century before his death in 1988. His work moved from the streets to galleries pretty quickly - by 1981 he was getting mainstream art world attention through features like Artforum's "The Radiant Child" article.
What made Basquiat's work stand out was how he blended figurative and abstract elements with handwritten text to create powerful social commentary, often dealing with themes of race, class, wealth inequality, and power structures. The raw energy of his graffiti roots combined with serious artistic depth is probably why Supreme continues to revisit his work - they've actually collaborated with the Basquiat estate before.
The collection drops in-store at NY, LA, and London locations plus online on September 26th, with Japan following on September 28th. No word yet on specific pieces or pricing, but expect the usual mix of apparel and accessories featuring Basquiat's iconic artwork.
