Basquiat
: Film
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Basquiat,
directed by Julian Schnabel, tells the story of the meteoric
rise of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Starting out as a street artist,
living in Thompkins Square Park in a cardboard box, Jean-Michel
is "discovered" by Andy Warhol's art world and
becomes a star. But success has a high price, and Basquiat
pays with friendship, love, and eventually, his life. It
also has a great soundtrack with artists including Bryan
Ferry, John Cale, and Van Morrison. more
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The film
is a day in the life of a young artist, Jean Michel Basquiat,
who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which
he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying
a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, whose lives
(and performances) we peek into. He finally manages to sell
his painting to a wealthy female admirer, but he's paid by
check. Downtown 81 not only captures one of the most interesting
and lively artists of the twentieth century as he is poised
for fame, but it is a slice of life from one of the most exciting
periods in American culture, with the emergence of new wave
music, new painting, hip hop and graffiti. more
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