Hot Hot Hot: 1980s and Basquiat!

Andy Warhol, "Enzo Cucchi (turquoise)" (1982)

Francesco Clemente,  "Red, White, Black" (1998)

"Story of My Country II" (1990)

Jean-Michel Basquiat, "The Dutch Settlers" (1982)

The 1980s are Hot Hot Hot right now. We've seen it in the fashion, music, and unfortunately, hair trends. It was only a matter of time before the surge of popular was noticed in the visual arts. 

However, I wasn't sure whether to post my opinions on the spike in interest in 1980s art that I noticed in Basel in an earlier post. I thought one month devoted to Art Basel was quite enough. But, when I read the latest article about a previously unseen video of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), which also remarked on the exhibition of his work at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, I knew I couldn't keep this to myself.

Not only am I am interested in the art from the 1980s, but I am also drawn to this decade for some very silly personal reasons. Who doesn't love the Brat Pack and Nintendo? Aside with this cult interest in the decade, I am also drawn to this decade because I have been researching it, and in particular the Neo-Expressionists, for more than 2 years now. Neo-Expressionism was a style that burst onto the art scene in the late 1970s-early 1980s. It called for a return to painting and figuration after a nearly two-decade focus on conceptual works and abstraction. 

The images I have included above were all taken while I roamed the hallways at Art Basel; these are just those in the Galerie Bruno Bischofberger area. Of the artists in the images, Francesco Clemente and Basquiat are more of a focus than Warhol, whose art fits more in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s than the paintings of the 1980s.

Clemente is a particularly important part of my thesis, as are Rainer Fetting, Eric Fischl, Ida Applebroog, and Robert Colescott. But enough about my research, lets get back to some current articles and events that highlight these 1980s artists.

While I was at Art Basel, I had the unique opportunity to meet Francesco Clemente at a private dinner for the artist and attend a public interview between the artist and a staff member at the Fondation Beyeler. More than just an interview, it was an open conversation between the two. I must say I was highly impressed by the moderators very loose flow of a conversation that succinctly covered ¨the voyage¨ Clemente's art has taken since the 1970s. They were also able to pull it back to Basquiat, whose work is currently on exhibition at the Beyeler. The exhibition space is incredible. For you Dallas-based readers, the architecture is similar to the Nasher, since the architect was none other than Renzo Piano. Much like the Nasher, the work is highlighted by the blank canvas of the space it sits in. I have to say that I personally prefer the Nasher Sculpture Center's layout, but that may have to do with the amount of Texas sunshine that pours into the glass walls on two sides of the building.

Anyway, back to the 1980s. For those of you budding collectors out there, this would be my little tidbit: keep on the lookout for this art. Non-collectors, students, et al, don't worry. By what I saw at Art Basel and what keeps on popping up in art blogs, magazines and newspapers, I am sure that some 1980s art is headed to a museum or gallery near you, if it isn't there already!

Want to know more about this decade, and in particular Basquiat? Check out the Houston Press' article on their Art Attack blog.