1964
1964
Sister, Lisane, is born in Brooklyn.
At an early age, Basquiat shows an affinity for drawing, often using paper his father brings home from the accounting firm where he works to make drawings inspired by television cartoons. His mother has a strong interest in fashion design and sketching, and she frequently draws with Basquiat.
“His mother got him started and she pushed him. She was actually a very good artist.” (Gerard Basquiat) 1
1965
1965
With his mother, Basquiat often visits The Brooklyn Museum, The Museum of Modern Art, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His mother continues to encourage his interest in art and emphasizes the importance of education. Basquiat attends kindergarten at a Head Start Project school.
“I’d say my mother gave me all the primary things. The art came from her.” (Basquiat) 2
1968
1968
Basquiat continues to make cartoonlike drawings inspired by Alfred Hitchcock films, automobiles, comic books, and the Alfred E. Newman character from Mad.
“He was always so bright, absolutely an unbelievable mind …. He drew and painted all of his life from the time he was three or four years old.” (Gerard Basquiat) 3
Pictured here: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Hall of Fame), n.d.
1969
1969
In May, while playing ball in the street, Basquiat is hit by an automobile. He breaks an arm, suffers various internal injuries, and has to have his spleen removed. He is hospitalized at King’s County Hospital for one month. While recovering, he receives a copy of Gray’s Anatomy from his mother. The book makes a lasting impression; its influence is found in Basquiat’s later work with anatomical drawings and prints and in the name of the band he co-founded in 1979, Gray.
Gerard and Matilde Basquiat separate. The seven-year-old Basquiat lives with his father and two sisters in East Flatbush.
Pictured here: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Biography), 1983