Self-Portrait (1983)

About This Artwork

This 1983 Self-Portrait sits at a pivotal moment in Basquiat’s career, when his language was fully formed yet still raw. The use of found wooden doors is not incidental. Doors carry weight as objects, they suggest entry, exit, thresholds. Here, they become both surface and metaphor. The left panel presents a stark, almost skeletal figure, rendered in Basquiat’s signature black silhouette. It recalls African masks, street iconography, and anatomical diagrams all at once. The body feels both present and unstable, as if it could dissolve into line at any moment. The right panel shifts into a more chaotic register. Text fragments, symbols, and layered marks suggest internal dialogue rather than external representation. References like “To Repel Ghosts” point toward Basquiat’s recurring engagement with mortality, legacy, and transcendence. Created during a time of rapid rise and increasing pressure, this work reflects the duality of Basquiat’s position. He was both subject and observer, both celebrated and exposed. His self-portraits rarely aim for likeness. Instead, they map identity as something fractured, constructed, and constantly in motion. Today, works like this move between private collections and major institutional exhibitions, reinforcing Basquiat’s position not just as a cultural figure, but as a persistent question about authorship, identity, and the cost of visibility.

Artist

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Location

Various, Paris / New York / Auction circuit

Date experienced

Friday, April 10, 2026