{"id":320131,"date":"2026-06-26T01:06:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T01:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/320131\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T01:06:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T01:06:10","slug":"bonnier-gallery-explores-the-artist-behind-basquiat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/320131\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonnier Gallery explores the artist behind Basquiat"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Grant Bonnier learned that P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami would be presenting 10 landmark Jean-Michel Basquiat works from the Kenneth C. Griffin Collection, he saw an opportunity to tell a different side of the artist\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI found out maybe six months ago that Ken\u2019s collection was going on view,\u201d Bonnier said. \u201cI started organizing this back then to try and coincide with the PAMM show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result is \u201cJean-Michel Basquiat: Selected Works, 1978\u20131988,\u201d on view through July 18 at The Bonnier Gallery in Miami\u2019s Little River neighborhood. While the focus of PAMM\u2019s \u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols\u201d is on 10 museum-quality paintings from a single private collection, Bonnier\u2019s exhibition offers a broader look at Basquiat\u2019s life, influences and artistic evolution, said the gallery owner.<\/p>\n

\"Among Among the exhibition\u2019s centerpiece paintings is \u201cKrong Thip (Torso), 1983, a large-scale acrylic rooted in a lifelong obsession with Gray\u2019s Anatomy \u2014 a book given to Basquiat by his mother. (Photo courtesy of The Bonnier Gallery) <\/p>\n

The exhibition brings together approximately 100 works spanning Basquiat\u2019s career, from postcards and collages he created as a teenager to paintings, sculpture, photographs by Andy Warhol and personal ephemera gathered, all gathered from private collections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have everything from postcards that he made when he was 18, 19, before he really entered the gallery scene, and he would sell those on the street for like $1 to $5,\u201d Bonnier said.<\/p>\n

From there, the exhibition follows Basquiat\u2019s artistic evolution through early collages, works on paper, anatomical prints, hand-painted Xerox works and paintings that reflect recurring themes of his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny significant motif that really has come up in Basquiat\u2019s career, we\u2019ve got something here touching on it,\u201d Bonnier said. \u201cThere\u2019s figurative work, text work, social commentary, the dichotomy of wealth versus poverty, the human body, animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Andy Andy Warhol, \u201cJean-Michel Basquiat,\u201d 1982, Polaroid. (Photo courtesy of The Bonnier Gallery) <\/p>\n

Bonnier also wanted visitors to better understand the influences behind Basquiat\u2019s imagery. Copies of the medical textbook \u201cGray\u2019s Anatomy,\u201d which Basquiat\u2019s mother gave to him after he was struck by a car when he was 7, are displayed alongside anatomical works that reference the book.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve ever seen anatomical work by him, that tends to be the big reference point for him,\u201d Bonnier said. \u201cThere were a handful of books that were really important. That\u2019s one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibition also includes photographs and personal ephemera from people close to the artist, including his last girlfriend, Kelle Inman.<\/p>\n

\u201cAndy (Warhol) used to run around with a 35-millimeter camera and take pictures of everything, so there\u2019s a good chunk of photos that Andy took of Basquiat, including some really significant Polaroids,\u201d Bonnier said.<\/p>\n

Among the exhibition\u2019s highlights is \u201cBoone\u201d (1983), a collage and oilstick work that reimagines Basquiat\u2019s influential art dealer, Mary Boone.<\/p>\n

\u201d \u2018Boone\u2019 renders Basquiat\u2019s dealer Mary Boone as the Mona Lisa\u2014or dresses the Mona Lisa in the dealer\u2019s identity,\u201d Bonnier said.<\/p>\n

\"Boone,\u201d Boone,\u201d 1983, renders Jean-Michele Basquiat\u2019s dealer Mary Boone as the Mona Lisa, executed in paper collage, marker, and oilstick on a narrow vertical masonite panel. (Photo courtesy of The Bonnier Gallery) <\/p>\n

\u201c<\/p>\n

Another standout is \u201cBrain\u201d (1985), a three-dimensional sculpture assembled from individually painted wooden blocks. The work was on display at PAMM in the museum\u2019s 2020-21 exhibition, \u201cWriting the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an unexpected pairing, a 1979 Basquiat painting is displayed beside dresses created through a licensed collaboration between the Basquiat estate and fashion label Alice + Olivia.<\/p>\n

Bonnier hopes the exhibition brings people in who have been intimidated by stepping inside a commercial gallery.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cBrain,\u201d \u201cBrain,\u201d 1985, is among the most structurally inventive works in the exhibition: a three-dimensional sculpture assembling Xerox paper collage, acrylic, and oilstick across 27 individually painted wood blocks mounted on a bootblack stand, (Photo courtesy of The Bonnier Gallery) <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople tend to think we\u2019re a museum,\u201d he said. \u201cThe number of people who have reached out and asked what the tickets cost, we have to be like, \u2018No, we\u2019re a gallery. We\u2019re a real gallery. We don\u2019t charge for entry.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The distinction for the gallery owner isn\u2019t about competing with museums but about making art accessible in a different setting. While commercial galleries also sell art, unlike museum, which are intended primarily for viewing, Bonnier wants people to know that they are welcome to experience the exhibition; they don\u2019t need to spend money\u2014they can simply spend time discovering the artist\u2019s life. But if someone wants to buy, there\u2019s the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you get to experience here is the life behind the work \u2026 the person behind it,\u201d Bonnier said.<\/p>\n

WHAT: \u201cJean-Michel Basquiat: Selected Works, 1978\u20131988\u201d<\/p>\n

WHERE: The Bonnier Gallery, 7275 NW 1st Court, Miami<\/p>\n

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Through Saturday, July 18.<\/p>\n

COST: Free<\/p>\n

INFORMATION: 786-543-9161 or thebonniergallery.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

ArtburstMiami.com<\/a> is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music, and more. Don\u2019t miss a story at www.artburstmiami.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 8:07 PM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Grant Bonnier learned that P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami would be presenting 10 landmark Jean-Michel Basquiat works from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":320132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-320131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=320131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}