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Lot Essay
The bond that existed between Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol may have originated in the attraction between opposites but it was also rooted in a deep and instinctive union between two lonely and brilliant outsiders. Both artists operated on the fringes of mainstream convention, deflecting the psychological and sociological obstacles in their lives into the language of art. Forging distinctive brands, each responded to the myths and horrors of modern life with ironic ambivalence. Thus, despite their ostensible differences in age, race, class and sexuality, it seems somehow fitting that their art would come together in collaboration. Outlays Hisssssssss (Collaboration #22) provides a visual record of the infamous friendship between two of the most recognizable and influential artists of the last century, perfectly illustrating the melding of seemingly disparate parts into one voice.
A crocodile head with gaping jaws is layered over the unmistakable profile of Ronald Reagan. Facing the same direction, the two elements appear to speak in unison, confusing monster and man. Warhol’s clear and pointed application of logo-like iconography, which incorporates an image from popular culture and bold text, contrasts with the frenzied and painterly marks of Basquiat’s gestural impulsiveness, particularly on the right side of the canvas, although his scrawled addition of “HISSSSSSSSS” in black ink melds the two elements together, resulting in an intense visual potency.
Both Ronald Reagan and the crocodile appear in other works by Warhol and Basquiat, respectively. After refusing a commission from New York magazine for a 1980 Ronald Reagan cover, Warhol began incorporating images of the president into his works, as he considered politicians to be celebrities in the same capacity as other cultural icons. Although in some instances Warhol reversed the black and white areas of the Reagan head, his introduction of the black profile in this case has been interpreted as a variation on Basquiat’s black caricature heads, providing racial overtones.
Basquiat’s crocodile, which references his Haitian roots, was added on top of Warhol’s initial image application. When collaborating, Warhol often painted the canvas first, leaving plenty of space for Basquiat to animate. The younger artist explained, “Andy would start most of the paintings. He would start one and put something very recognizable on it, or a product logo, and then I would sort of deface it. Then I would try to get him to work some more on it, and then I would work some more on it. I would try to get him to do at least two things. He likes to do just one hit, and then have me do all the work after that’ (J-M. Basquiat, quoted in Jean Michel Basquiat, exh. cat. Museo Revoltella, Trieste, 1999).
As in many of the most successful collaboration paintings, Warhol’s cool, impersonal, corporate-America style is energized and made edgy, unnerving and new again by the intervention of the raw, urban, attack of Basquiat’s inimitable and intuitive brushwork. This contrast between cold rationalism and the warm, neurotic and fragile humanity of Basquiat’s unfiltered impulses creates a fascinating pictorial dialectic. It was a dialectic that evidently intrigued and motivated the two painters to ever further collaborative exploration, and it is one that that attains what Keith Haring—probably the most eloquent recorder of these collaborative sessions—described in terms of what William S. Burroughs once called the ‘third mind'—that moment when ‘two amazing minds’ become fused ‘together to create a third totally separate and unique mind.”
Haring described their collaborative sessions as being, “a physical conversation happening in paint instead of words. The sense of humor, the snide remarks, the profound realizations, the simple chit-chat all happened with paint and brushes…There was a sense that one was watching something being unveiled and discovered for the first time” (K. Haring, “Painting the Third Mind,” Collaborations: Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, exh. cat., Mayor Rowan Gallery, London, 1988). Although Basquiat and Warhol were formally introduced in 1982, they did not begin to work together until 1984. In the interim they developed a close friendship, exercising, dining and partying together, even sharing the occasional pedicure session. Basquiat admired Warhol’s work and in turn, Warhol was captivated by Basquiat’s youthful energy, the two coming together as equals in their collaboration.
Outlays Hisssssssss (Collaboration #22) epitomizes the infamous bond between the two artists and their unique expressive styles. Not only does this pairing reveal the difference in the social and political concerns of both artists, but also shows how easily the themes intersect—deeply personal sentiments of Basquiat bleeding into the popular culture icons of Warhol, making the personal public and the public personal. In doing so, Warhol’s reflections on logos, products and mass culture represent the artist just as Basquiat represents himself through expressive painting. Both introduce something uniquely their own in the styles that have made them icons.
A crocodile head with gaping jaws is layered over the unmistakable profile of Ronald Reagan. Facing the same direction, the two elements appear to speak in unison, confusing monster and man. Warhol’s clear and pointed application of logo-like iconography, which incorporates an image from popular culture and bold text, contrasts with the frenzied and painterly marks of Basquiat’s gestural impulsiveness, particularly on the right side of the canvas, although his scrawled addition of “HISSSSSSSSS” in black ink melds the two elements together, resulting in an intense visual potency.
Both Ronald Reagan and the crocodile appear in other works by Warhol and Basquiat, respectively. After refusing a commission from New York magazine for a 1980 Ronald Reagan cover, Warhol began incorporating images of the president into his works, as he considered politicians to be celebrities in the same capacity as other cultural icons. Although in some instances Warhol reversed the black and white areas of the Reagan head, his introduction of the black profile in this case has been interpreted as a variation on Basquiat’s black caricature heads, providing racial overtones.
Basquiat’s crocodile, which references his Haitian roots, was added on top of Warhol’s initial image application. When collaborating, Warhol often painted the canvas first, leaving plenty of space for Basquiat to animate. The younger artist explained, “Andy would start most of the paintings. He would start one and put something very recognizable on it, or a product logo, and then I would sort of deface it. Then I would try to get him to work some more on it, and then I would work some more on it. I would try to get him to do at least two things. He likes to do just one hit, and then have me do all the work after that’ (J-M. Basquiat, quoted in Jean Michel Basquiat, exh. cat. Museo Revoltella, Trieste, 1999).
As in many of the most successful collaboration paintings, Warhol’s cool, impersonal, corporate-America style is energized and made edgy, unnerving and new again by the intervention of the raw, urban, attack of Basquiat’s inimitable and intuitive brushwork. This contrast between cold rationalism and the warm, neurotic and fragile humanity of Basquiat’s unfiltered impulses creates a fascinating pictorial dialectic. It was a dialectic that evidently intrigued and motivated the two painters to ever further collaborative exploration, and it is one that that attains what Keith Haring—probably the most eloquent recorder of these collaborative sessions—described in terms of what William S. Burroughs once called the ‘third mind'—that moment when ‘two amazing minds’ become fused ‘together to create a third totally separate and unique mind.”
Haring described their collaborative sessions as being, “a physical conversation happening in paint instead of words. The sense of humor, the snide remarks, the profound realizations, the simple chit-chat all happened with paint and brushes…There was a sense that one was watching something being unveiled and discovered for the first time” (K. Haring, “Painting the Third Mind,” Collaborations: Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, exh. cat., Mayor Rowan Gallery, London, 1988). Although Basquiat and Warhol were formally introduced in 1982, they did not begin to work together until 1984. In the interim they developed a close friendship, exercising, dining and partying together, even sharing the occasional pedicure session. Basquiat admired Warhol’s work and in turn, Warhol was captivated by Basquiat’s youthful energy, the two coming together as equals in their collaboration.
Outlays Hisssssssss (Collaboration #22) epitomizes the infamous bond between the two artists and their unique expressive styles. Not only does this pairing reveal the difference in the social and political concerns of both artists, but also shows how easily the themes intersect—deeply personal sentiments of Basquiat bleeding into the popular culture icons of Warhol, making the personal public and the public personal. In doing so, Warhol’s reflections on logos, products and mass culture represent the artist just as Basquiat represents himself through expressive painting. Both introduce something uniquely their own in the styles that have made them icons.