Amidst the bevy of big numbers and brand partnerships, those who knew Jean-Michel Basquiat have fought to recenter the painter’s mythology on his humanity. One such effort, an exhibition titled “Our Friend, Jean”, will return to Brooklyn for the first time in seven years next month.
The exhibition features 20 works of art as well as photographs and other ephemera dating back to the late 1970s—just before Basquiat launched his studio practice. The show opens May 16 in Basquiat’s hometown during Frieze Week at The Bishop Gallery, where “Our Friend, Jean” debuted in 2019.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Rock Hudson) (ca. 1979-80) Photo courtesy of The Bishop Gallery.
Most of the items on view will hail from the collection of biologist and photographer Alexis Adler, who lived with Basquiat in the 12th Street apartment she still occupies from 1979 to 1980. Although Adler said they “had relations,” the fledgling creatives never dated. Still, Adler treated Basquiat with love, giving him a place to stay and letting him paint it from top to bottom.
Living with Basquiat ultimately became “too complicated” Adler said. Soon after moving out, he got a studio, focused on painting, and after appearing in 1980’s “Times Square Show” skyrocketed to fame. Adler, meanwhile, held on to all her mementos from her year with Basquiat, from the murals on her walls to the garments he enlivened with art.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Blue (ca. 1979-80) Photo courtesy of The Bishop Gallery.
Many of these relics went to auction at Christie’s in 2014. Those left over appeared in “Basquiat Before Basquiat: East 12th Street, 1979-1980”, a traveling museum show that launched at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver in 2017. Meanwhile, “Our Friend, Jean” pairs some of Adler’s holdings with contributions from further Basquiat compatriots: artist and Binibon waitress Jane Diaz, Tier 3 booking agent Hilary Jaeger, and downtown scenester Katie Taylor.
Three years after debuting in Brooklyn, “Our Friend, Jean” embarked on a year-long tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in six American cities. From there, a portion of Adler’s collection appeared in “Basquiat x Warhol. Painting Four Hands” at Paris’s Fondation Louis Vuitton. The Bishop Gallery also showed Adler’s photos of Basquiat at last year’s Miami Art Week.
In 2021, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture acquired its first-ever Basquiat from Adler—his untitled artwork depicting the American Flag. In 2024, the institution also purchased over 100 photographs Adler took of Basquiat while they lived together.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Transistors (ca. 1979-80) Photo courtesy of The Bishop Gallery.
Adler still owns the film, though, so some of those photos will appear in the latest rendition of “Our Friend, Jean” at The Bishop Gallery in Brooklyn—alongside a few new additions from her legendary trove, including sweaters, postcards, writings, and drawings. Adler has considered selling the whole cache to a museum. But, as The Bishop Gallery wrote in press materials for their forthcoming show, she’s ultimately decided to keep working with their team, to maximize the collection’s accessibility.
The Bishop Gallery is developing Bishop Arts & Research Center with hopes to ultimately acquire the items. In the meantime, they’ve organized various panels, screenings, and guided conversations featuring Adler, Basquiat’s street art partner Al Diaz, and more to activate “Our Friend, Jean” while the global art world is in New York.