Where to See Untitled (Skull) by Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat painted this striking skull in 1981, the year he transitioned from street art to the gallery world. The image draws on his longtime fascination with anatomy, sparked by a copy of Gray's Anatomy his mother gave him as a child.

The skull appears simultaneously alive and dead, with visible teeth, hollow eyes, and a textured surface suggesting both bone and flesh. It exemplifies Basquiat's raw, urgent style that made him a sensation in the New York art world at just 21 years old.

It is one of the highlights of The Broad's extensive Basquiat collection in Los Angeles.

It's at The Broad in Los Angeles, part of one of the largest Basquiat collections in any museum.

His mother gave him a copy of Gray's Anatomy as a child, which sparked a lifelong interest. Skulls, skeletal structures, and exposed organs recur throughout Basquiat's work as he explored the boundary between life and death.

He created it in 1981, the year he transitioned from street art (tagging as SAMO) to the gallery world. He was just 21 and already becoming a sensation in the New York art scene.

Untitled (Skull)

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Also at The Broad

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Jean Alexandre

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Woman with Dead Child

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Winding Brook

The Tower of Blue Horses

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