About Jean-Michel Basquiat – Skateboard Triptych Hollywood Africans (1983)

Bringing together tradition and contemporary culture, this Jean-Michel Basquiat Skateboard Triptych features a reproduction of Basquiat’s work Hollywood Africans (1983). Hollywood Africans is one of a series of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings that feature images and texts relating to stereotypes of African Americans in the entertainment industry. It was painted while Basquiat was on an extended visit to Los Angeles, California, in 1983. The notion of exclusion or excision is reiterated in the way that Basquiat often crossed out words or phrases in his works. The technique, he explained, was actually meant to direct attention to them: “I cross out words so you will see them more; the fact that they are obscured makes you want to read them.”

This exclusive and limited edition set of three skate decks made in collaboration between The Skateroom and The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat mixes the energies of underground culture and legendary artists. The Skateroom is a platform for promoting, selling and producing art on skateboards that supports youth-empowering organizations. More details on Jean-Michel Basquiat – Skateboard Triptych Hollywood Africans (1983):

• Dimensions (Individual Decks): 31″ H x 8″ W
• Material: 7-ply Canadian Maple Wood
• Includes printed Basquiat signature on top
• Each deck comes with a fixture – ready to be mounted on your wall
• Wheels and trucks are not included
• © The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat.

About Jean-Michel Basquiat

Synonymous with New York in the 1980s, the artist first appeared in the late 1970s under the tag SAMO, spraying caustic comments and fragmented poems on the walls of the city. He appeared as part of a thriving underground scene of visual arts and graffiti, hip-hop, post-punk, and DIY filmmaking, which met in a booming art world. As a painter with a strong personal voice, Basquiat soon broke into the established milieu, exhibiting in galleries around the world. Basquiat’s expressive style was based on raw figures and integrated words and phrases. His work is inspired by a pantheon of luminaries from jazz, boxing, and basketball, with references to arcane history and the politics of street life—so when asked about his subject matter, Basquiat answered “royalty, heroism and the streets.” In 1983 he started collaborating with the most famous of art stars, Andy Warhol, and in 1985 was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. When Basquiat died at the age of 27, he had become one of the most successful artists of his time.