BOOM! Inspired by Basquiat

With the Barbican’s recent exhibition to celebrate the career of Jean-Michel Basquiat, we’ve compiled the BOOM! Inspired by Basquiat collection to showcase our artists that have been influenced by his work. If you’re a fan of the street art style of this graffiti legend then this is the perfect place to pick up prints, photography and more artwork inspired by his eclectic and colourful approach.

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a multi-talented artist who emerged on the scene in 1970s New York, producing everything from poetry to music and graffiti. Drawing upon his own Caribbean Heritage and the melting pot of New York City that surrounded him, Basquiat created multimedia artworks that combined drawing and painting to tackle important political questions. Social commentary was central to his work, with themes such as class struggles, poverty and the negative effects of colonialism featuring strongly throughout. Later in his career, he would collaborate with Andy Warhol, who acted as a mentor as they created a series of paintings together in the late 1980s before both artists, unfortunately, passed away.

Narrow down your search with our handy filters, with options to select by size, orientation and price. This makes it easy to find Basquiat inspired artwork to suit any space and budget.

Marc Craig is a British street artist whose style is reminiscent of Basquiat, with plenty of bright colours and an eclectic approach to composition. Marc has taken part in plenty of painting performances and completed street art murals, as well as creating prints and digital artworks that you can get your hands on. We love the bright colours that are ubiquitous throughout his art, as well as his use of black and white that stand in stark contrast to the more vibrant hues, creating a dramatic visual effect.

Looking to discover exciting portrait art? Lee Ellis is a contemporary multimedia artist whose mixed approach makes for interesting results. While the visual style is certainly distinct, there’s something about his smudgy, scribbled approach and the raw energy of his subjects that places him in the same world as Basquiat. Through his use of heavy brushstrokes and over-saturated colour palettes, Lee creates portraits that offer a glimpse into the subject’s consciousness, revealing the inner turmoil within. An experimental approach is central to everything that Lee does, making him one to watch in the contemporary art scene.

Clearly drawing upon the same visual world as Basquiat, Dan Baldwin is a Manchester-born artist known as one of the leading figures in the Young British Artist movement. These visually complex paintings combine a range of different influences, referencing everything from the Pop Art movement to traditional Dutch painting styles. You’ll find recurring motifs such as skeletons, flowers and knives running through his work, creating a contrasting style of both fantastical and more disturbing imagery. What makes Dan’s paintings special is the strong symbolism and storytelling that runs through each piece, making for a unique viewing experience every time.