Jean-Michel Basquiat with green superball, New York City, c. 1980

Jean-Michel Basquiat photographed in New York City, c. 1980, by Bobby Grossman.

Around 1980 Jean-Michel Basquiat was emerging from the SAMO graffiti tag he had sprayed across downtown Manhattan into the gallery world that would soon make him a phenomenon. Still a fixture of the same TV Party and club circuit Grossman documented, he stood at the threshold between street and art-world fame. Photographed here in color, holding a green superball, Basquiat appears with the offhand charisma that defined him before celebrity hardened around his image.

Each print is produced from the original transparency, dated and hand-signed by Bobby Grossman on the front, stamped on the verso, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the gallery. All works are limited edition.

Vintage prints from the original period may be available upon request. Please contact the gallery for further information.