Culture & ArtsArtsPhotographyjean-michel basquiat

Basquiat's Ex-Girlfriend Paige Powell Presents A Series Of <em>Very</em> NSFW Images Of The Artist

This Is A Side Of Jean-Michel Basquiat We'veNever Seen
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Arts and Culture Reporter, HuffPost

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Warning: This post contains a lot of full frontal nudity. It is very NSFW.

A budding photographer who'd recently moved to New York snapped intimate photographs of her lover, nude and relaxing in her Upper West Side apartment. If you're Paige Powell, this story is made ever more interesting thanks to the fact that her lover happened to be one of the most iconic artists of the last century -- Mr. Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Powell revisits her personal photography archive in an ongoing exhibition in New York City, sharing a treasure trove of Basquiat imagery with a gallery audience for the first time. The black-and-white, 35mm photos capture the famously meteoric artist at his most relaxed -- reclining on a futon, smoking, doodling and watching cartoons. The exhibition, entitled "Jean-Michel Basquiat, Reclining Nude," captures a key figure from New York's transformative art scene in his natural state, while subverting the art historical tradition of the reclining nude from a female muse to a male artist.

"Paige Powell moved to New York City from Portland, Oregon in 1980 with the intent of working for Interview Magazine or Woody Allen. A few weeks after she arrived, she landed both jobs," states Suzanne Geiss Gallery. Working for Interview, Powell quickly became chummy with a certain fellow named Andy Warhol, who, in 1983, introduced her to Jean-Michel.

The two had their first date on August 9, 1983. Warhol even recorded the momentous event in his calendar, according to AnOther Magazine. "They went out to Brooklyn to a black neighbourhood and went to a White Castle and had eight hamburgers and then two people came in with big sticks and they thought they were going to kill them," he mused. Whether or not Warhol's account of the budding romance is accurate remains uncertain, but it's surely a 1980s art world memory we're happy to spend way too long imagining.

“The photographs provide an intimate look into our private lives while we were together in the early 1980s. They are at once vulnerable and trusting images of our love and the daily life of Jean-Michel Basquiat,” Powell told ArtDaily.

The candid and decidedly NFSW shots of young Basquiat, taken only five years before his death, give fans of the Haitian-American graffiti master a chance to peek into his life behind closed doors. See the photos yourself in the exhibition "Jean-Michel Basquiat, Reclining Nude," showing at The Suzanne Geiss Company until February 22, 2014.


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Before You Go

15 Things You Might Not Know About Jean-Michel Basquiat
Basquiat ran away from home at 15(01 of15)
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Basquiat ran away from home at the age of 15, seeking shelter in NYC's Washington Square Park until he was legally forced to return home. He later dropped out of high school and was then kicked out of his father's house.IMAGE: "Orange Sports Figure", which Sotheby's claims shows Jean-Michel Basquiat 's invisible ink signature when seen under ultraviolet light. Basquiat signed relatively few of his canvases, but the auction house said ultraviolet light revealed the artist's name and the date 1982 beneath the layers of paint. (AP Photo/Sotheby's) (credit:AP)
Basquiat was trilingual(02 of15)
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By the age of 11, Basquiat could fluently speak, write and read in three languages -- Spanish, French and English.IMAGE: A man looks at 'The field next to the other Road' while visiting the American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat's exhibition, on October 19, 2010 at the Modern Arts museum in Paris. (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Basquiat drew inspiration from medical textbooks(03 of15)
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Basquiat drew significant inspiration from Gray's Anatomy, the well-known medical book that was given to him by his mother at age seven. Beyond the anatomical symbols, Basquiat's other referential images were taken from Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks and Brentjes African Rock Art. (credit:Alamy)
Basquiat's moniker was SAMO(04 of15)
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In 1976, Basquiat and fellow street artist Al Diaz began creating graffiti in Lower Manhattan under the pseudonym SAMO. The collaboration attracted the attention of the Village Voice in 1978, but ended a year later with the final epitaph, "SAMO IS DEAD."IMAGE: A woman passes by 'Untitled (two heads on Gold)' as she visits the American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat's exhibition, on October 19, 2010 at the Modern Arts museum in Paris. (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Basquiat was a Renaissance man(05 of15)
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In 1979 Basquiat made regular appearances on the public-access show, TV Party, hosted by Glenn O'Brien. That year the future-artist also formed a noise rock band called Test Pattern (renamed Gray), which played at high-profile venues like CBGB and Mudd Club. He also made his film debut in O'Brien's 1980 independent movie, "Downtown 81." IMAGE: A visitor has a close look at a painting intitled 'Maurice' by Jean-Michel Basquiat on May 7, 2010 in Basel. (FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Basquiat was in a Blondie video(06 of15)
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Basquiat appeared in one of Blondie's music videos, "Rapture," as a nightclub disc jockey. (credit:Alamy)
Basquiat once worked in Larry Gagosian's basement(07 of15)
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In 1982, Basquiat worked in a studio space located underneath gallery-mogul Larry Gagosian's Venice home. The paintings made during that period were shown in the West Hollywood location of Gagosian Gallery the next year.IMAGE: A man visits the American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat's exhibition, on October 19, 2010 at the Modern Arts museum in Paris. (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Basquiat produced a hip-hop single(08 of15)
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Basquiat once produced a 12" rap single featuring hip-hop artists, Rammellzee and K-Rob. The single contained two versions of the same track, "Beat Bop." The single's cover featured Basquiat's artwork, which attracted both record and art collectors alike.IMAGE: A woman looks at 'Portrait of the artist as a young derelict' while visiting the American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat's exhibition, on October 19, 2010 at the Modern Arts museum in Paris. (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Robert Hughes once called Basquiat "the Eddie Murphy of the art world"(09 of15)
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Hughes, the top art critic for TIME, also referred to Keith Haring a "disco decorator." IMAGE: An attendee is reflected in front of the Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat acrylic and oil stick on canvas, entitled: "Ailing Ali In Fight of Life, 1984" during a press preview of the an Andy Warhol, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) (credit:AP)
Basquiat wore paint-splattered Armani suits(10 of15)
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Basquiat often painted in expensive Armani suits and would then wear the paint-splattered ensembles during public appearances. (credit:Alamy)
Basquiat appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine in 1985(11 of15)
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On February 10, 1985, Basquiat appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine in a feature entitled "New Art, New Money: The Marketing of an American Artist." (credit:Alamy)
Basquiat once dated Madonna(12 of15)
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Yes, it happened.IMAGE: Recording artist Madonna performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena as she tours in support of her album, 'MDNA' October 13, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Basquiat and Bowie once worked together(13 of15)
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Basquiat and Bowie worked together briefly in 1983. But what's crazier is that following Jean-Michel's death, Bowie played Andy Warhol in the 1996 biopic, "Basquiat," directed by Julian Schnabel. (credit:Alamy)
John McEnroe owns a work by Basquiat(14 of15)
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It's not like it's a surprise, given the artist's tendency to run in star-studded crowds, but celebs like Swizz Beatz, John McEnroe and Leonardo DiCaprio can count themselves as Basquiat collectors. (credit:Alamy)
Rappers love Basquiat... but that's not a surprise, is it?(15 of15)
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Here's a short list of rappers who have paid homage to Basquiat in their music: Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rick Ross, and Macklemore. For his part, Jay raps: "Basquiats, Warhols serving as my muses." (credit:Alamy)
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