A new exhibition at P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami didn\u2019t begin with the idea of a collector lending paintings to a museum. It began with a realization.<\/p>\n
Megan Kincaid, curator of the Kenneth C. Griffin Collection, recalled that shortly after joining the team, she was looking at the collection with its owner when she saw more than a remarkable group of paintings. Something stood out.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a Basquiat show on your hands. This is ready to go. This is museum quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Collector Kenneth C. Griffin, right, and P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami Director Franklin Sirmans stand in front of Jean-Michel Basquiat\u2019s \u201cUntitled\u201d (1982), one of the centerpiece works in \u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols,\u201d the first public exhibition from the Kenneth C. Griffin Collection now at PAMM.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(World Red Eye)<\/p>\n
That realization became \u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols,\u201d which opened Thursday, June 25, and will be on view for nearly a year through Sunday, June 6, 2027.<\/p>\n
The exhibition brings together 10 works by Jean-Michel Basquiat from the Kenneth C. Griffin Collection in the first public exhibition drawn from the collection. Spanning works created between 1982 and 1985, Kincaid said the exhibition functions as \u201ca kind of retrospective\u201d of Basquiat\u2019s most significant period.<\/p>\n
For both the collector and the curator, there was never any doubt where that exhibition belonged.<\/p>\n
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, \u201cIn Italian,\u201d 1983. Kenneth C. Griffin Collection. Artwork \u00a9 Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout question, it was always going to happen for Ken at the P\u00e9rez,\u201d said Kincaid, who is co-curator of \u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols.\u201d \u201cIt was the right venue, and Miami was where he wanted to stage an exhibition of this kind. It\u2019s important to remember that this is the first time Ken\u2019s ever presenting a section of his collection as a show with his name on it, and it was decisive and important that the show take place in Miami.\u201d<\/p>\n
The right place at the right time<\/p>\n
The decision reflected more than geography. It reflected a relationship that had been taking shape since Griffin moved Citadel\u2019s headquarters from Chicago to Miami in 2022. The move returned the Florida native \u2014 born in Daytona Beach and raised in Boca Raton \u2014 to his home state. Two years later, his $10 million gift to PAMM established the Kenneth C. Griffin Gallery, which now hosts the first public exhibition drawn from his collection.<\/p>\n
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, \u201cPez Dispenser,\u201d 1984. Kenneth C. Griffin Collection. Artwork \u00a9 Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols\u201d represents a watershed moment for Miami\u2019s cultural landscape. It is the first public exhibition drawn from one of the world\u2019s premier private Basquiat collections, presented at a museum whose director, Franklin Sirmans, has spent more than three decades studying the artist, and it arrives as Miami continues to establish itself as an international art destination.<\/p>\n
For Sirmans, PAMM\u2019s director and co-curator of the exhibition, the moment is about more than one collector or one museum. It\u2019s another chapter in Miami\u2019s cultural evolution.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re incredibly fortunate,\u201d Sirmans said. \u201cThis is a really fascinating moment to think about how the landscape is being enriched by new people coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, \u201cUntitled (Tenant),\u201d 1982. Kenneth C. Griffin Collection. Artwork \u00a9 Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.<\/p>\n
There was another draw that made PAMM the perfect fit. Sirmans has spent more than three decades studying Basquiat, beginning with his undergraduate thesis while at Wesleyan University and continuing through major exhibitions that have shaped scholarship on the artist, including co-curating the 2005 landmark show \u201cBasquiat\u201d at the Brooklyn Museum, which traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you could pick a museum director in the country to curate a Basquiat show, it would be Franklin,\u201d Kincaid remarked.<\/p>\n
Why Basquiat endures<\/p>\n
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, \u201cUntitled,\u201d 1982. Kenneth C. Griffin Collection. Artwork \u00a9 Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.<\/p>\n
Sirmans said there are many reasons why more than three decades after his untimely death from a drug overdose in 1988 at the age of 27, Basquiat remains one of the defining artists of the late 20th century.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work at its core is about humanity,\u201d Sirmans said. \u201cIt\u2019s about people and times and eras of human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in Brooklyn to a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother, Basquiat drew on a wide range of cultural references that shaped both his life and his work. For Sirmans, those influences give the exhibition a particular resonance in Miami.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have three different languages in the gallery alone\u2026 Creole, Spanish and English\u2026 there aren\u2019t that many American cities where you think about language in the same way that you do here.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the artist\u2019s work resonates with audiences around the world, Miami\u2019s deep Caribbean and Latin American cultures, central to the city\u2019s identity, may allow many visitors to connect in a deeper way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it can sound trite sometimes when you say, \u2018Yes, he is a Black person, his father was from Haiti, his mother was from Puerto Rico.\u2019 All those aspects are part of it. They\u2019re not the end-all and be-all, but I think they are something that makes the presence of not only the artist, but the work speak to that kind of heritage, that kind of upbringing,\u201d Sirmans explained.<\/p>\n
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Franklin Sirmans, director of P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami and co-curator of \u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols,\u201d has spent more than three decades studying Jean-Michel Basquiat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Lazaro Llanes, courtesy of P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami)<\/p>\n
One notable omission among the works is \u201cBoy and Dog in a Johnnypump,\u201d considered one of the crown jewels of Griffin\u2019s collection. Kincaid calls the 1982 work a tour de force of the collection, and of Basquiat\u2019s entire career. \u00a0\u201cThe only reason it is not in the show here is because it is in another exhibition that Ken has supported at the Hirshhorn Museum (in Washington, D.C.).\u201d The private sale made headlines when Griffin acquired the painting for more than $100 million in 2020, making it one of the most valuable Basquiat works in any private collection.<\/p>\n
But rather than keeping it tucked away, Kincaid said this reinforces Griffin\u2019s philosophy of making the collection accessible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very lucky to work for a collector who has the vision to share his collection with the public,\u201d she said. \u201cThere was the exhibition in terms of content, and there was this vision to make this work accessible. There\u2019s the vision as a collector and the vision as one of civic responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
That same philosophy shaped the exhibition itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was absolutely a decision to present as much as we could, and we want people to feel empowered to make their own personal choice about what they like best,\u201d Kincaid said. \u201cTo over-curate the exhibition would have been a bit of a disservice.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jean-Michel Basquiat, \u201cUntitled (Yellow Tar and Feathers),\u201d 1982. Kenneth C. Griffin Collection. Artwork \u00a9 Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.<\/p>\n
Looking closely<\/p>\n
Along with the nine works, the exhibition includes a sculpture known as \u201cUntitled (Box)\u201d \u2014 though Kincaid noted that \u201ccrate\u201d is probably a more accurate term. The piece revealed a surprise when it was brought to PAMM.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was one work we acquired with this show in mind when we were offered it and it came to our attention, and it\u2019s centered in the gallery,\u201d Kincaid said, noting that it highlights another aspect of Basquiat\u2019s artistic practice through his use of found and assemblage materials. \u201cWe were able to open it for the first time here.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Megan Kincaid, curator of the Kenneth C. Griffin Collection and co-curator of \u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols,\u201d while looking at the collection with its owner said, \u201cYou have a Basquiat show on your hands.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Courtesy of Megan Kincaid)<\/p>\n
The work first debuted publicly in 1985 in a highly unusual setting: the legendary Area nightclub in New York City, where a famous photograph captured Basquiat himself sitting atop the crate.<\/p>\n
In a previous life, the wooden crate had been used by artist Robert Rauschenberg, widely regarded as the father of assemblage art in the United States, to house and transport his paintings before Basquiat incorporated it into his own work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an art historical object where Basquiat is commenting on his own lineage and place within the canon of American art,\u201d Kincaid said. \u201cIt is a super special object in that it has so many layers of meaning and significance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sirmans said it is that kind of layering that will be eye-opening for visitors when they are face to face with the works.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the awe of standing in front of great paintings, and I think that is what\u2019s going to be revelatory for a lot of people who only know (Basquiat) from reproductions. What it is to be standing in real time and be among others in the space of the gallery who are all contemplating the work for a moment in time. These paintings demand that kind of slow experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
IF YOU GO<\/p>\n
WHAT: \u201cBasquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols\u201d from the Kenneth C. Griffin Collection<\/p>\n
WHEN:\u00a0Through Sunday, June 6, 2027. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n
WHERE:\u00a0P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.<\/p>\n
COST:\u00a0$18, $14 for seniors 62 and older, students, and children 7 to 18; children under 6, free admission. Other free admission for military, healthcare, first responders, Florida educators, and disabled visitors and an accompanying caregiver. Admission is free from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday.<\/p>\n
INFO:\u00a0305-375-3000 and\u00a0pamm.org<\/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","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new exhibition at P\u00e9rez Art Museum Miami didn\u2019t begin with the idea of a collector lending paintings…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332232,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[132572,137058,137055,137049,137042,137057,137052,137048,137054,137044,137059,28423,16571,63180,28418,137051,137043,137050,123,134915,18857,125,137056,137047,124,97957,137053,137046,19149,137045],"class_list":["post-332231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-basquiat","tag-basquiat-100-million-painting","tag-basquiat-art-collection-debut","tag-basquiat-artwork","tag-basquiat-exhibition","tag-basquiat-figures-signs-symbols-exhibition-dates","tag-basquiat-museum-exhibition-2026","tag-basquiat-paintings","tag-basquiat-retrospective-exhibition","tag-basquiat-figures","tag-best-art-exhibitions-in-miami-2026","tag-black-artists-in-contemporary-art","tag-contemporary-art","tag-jean-michel-basquiat","tag-jean-michel-basquiat-legacy","tag-jean-michel-basquiat-paintings-in-miami","tag-kenneth-c-griffin-collection","tag-kenneth-griffin-art-collection","tag-miami","tag-miami-art","tag-miami-cultural-events","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-international-art-scene","tag-miami-museums","tag-miami-news","tag-prez-art-museum-miami","tag-prez-art-museum-miami-basquiat-show","tag-pamm-exhibition","tag-signs","tag-symbols"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332231","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=332231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}