IN 1981, A NINETEEN-YEAR OLD UNKNOWN GRAFFITI WRITER TOOK THE NEW YORK ART WORLD BY STORM. THE REST IS ART HISTORY.

The story of the carefree graffiti writer and drug addict Jean-Michel Basquiat who in the 1980s became a phenomenon on the New York art scene before a heroin overdose ended his life. The director himself was originally a painter; in the movie he is represented by Gary Oldman’s artist who’s observing a talent that’s difficult to penetrate. Unfortunately, Julian Schnabel isn’t successful in making us understand Basquiat’s emotional life, but Jeffrey Wright is the right guy to portray the callous bohemian. David Bowie leads an eclectic supporting cast as Andy Warhol.

1996-U.S. 108 min. Color. Written and directed by Julian Schnabel. Cast: Jeffrey Wright (Jean-Michel Basquiat), David Bowie (Andy Warhol), Dennis Hopper (Bruno Bischofberger), Gary Oldman, Willem Dafoe, Michael Wincott… Benicio Del Toro, Christopher Walken, Courtney Love, Tatum O’Neal. Cameo: Isabella Rossellini.

IMDb