Growing Up With Jean-Michel Basquiat | I Was There

Through the stories and words of his sisters Lisane Basquiat & Jeanine Heriveaux, along with supporting archival imagery and some never-before-seen works of art, VICE gets a unique look into the life and times of famed artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

0:00 - 0:40 Intro
0:40 - 1:53 Childhood
1:53 - 2:39 Immigrant Roots
2:39 - 3:07 High School Years
3:07 - 3:45 Leaving Home
3:45 - 4:19 First Show
4:19 - 5:06 Papa, I Made It
5:06 - 6:16 Varied Interests
6:16 - 7:35 Breaking Barriers
7:35 - 8:40 Defending His Identity
8:40 - 9:41 Andy Warhol's Death
9:41 - 10:17 Losing Our Brother
10:17 - 11:47 Legacy

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[mariatorres]

What a pleasure to see his sisters talk about him.

[DavidRichardson]

I'm on a Basquiat binge. I'm happy these ladies are telling the story of their brother. He was far from what so many others made him out to be. And he was lightyears ahead of his time. You could only imagine what could've been had he not passed so soon. #RIPBasquiat

[asktheupgrade]

He was Puerto Rican 🇵🇷 & Haitian 🇭🇹 and very proud of his heritage.
Haitians don’t get enough love. Remember Haiti ❤️ R.I.P. ~ JMB

[myno.]

This video literally cleaned every single stigma about him that people tried to plant in me every time I said I really appreciated his work.

[prettynflawed]

Just I have always had a fascination with Basquiat for many years.. I wish he were still alive, but it was really nice to see this interview for the people that didn't really know about him and all his amazing art!!! Definitely a KING!!!! and his sisters are absolutely beautiful... Thank You

[rickyparrilla]

Those were some great years hanging out in downtown Manhattan in the 1980s. No cell phones no social media. We had many places to go and hangout day or night. It was a great fun scene that doesn't exist anymore. I never recall meeting Basquiat but I knew Kieth Haring and would see him out at many places cause we knew some of the same people. NYC was so awesome during those years. It's wonderful to hear his sisters talk about their brother as the prankster. I can definitely see him doing those things.
The sad thing is when Basquiat died that's around the same time many people started dying from aids which put an eerie vibe in the air. People today read up on people like Basquiat and literally think that they know what type of person he was when they have no idea. That scene had such a cool vibe it was like nothing I had ever experienced in my life even till today. It wouldn't be able to exist today because people today want to record everything and we had privacy back then and respected peoples spaces. That respect doesn't exist today. It seems the more advanced we get with technology the more respect people tend to lose for one another. That how I see it. RIP Basquiat 🙏.

[jadaimani]

They tell his story so beautifully and thoughtfully, with such care and nuance. I love it.

[tothelighthouse]

Jean-Michel Basquiat's works are monumental. They shimmer with life, ideas, joy, pain, remembrance, curiosity. With time, the art world will catch up to Jean-Michel, & he will gain the widespread recognition he deserves as one of the greatest artist of the late 20th century.

[cguibcx]

I went to their art exhibit in LA just yesterday that the family of Basquiat curated along with Vice. What an incredible talent. 💛

[BobbyGeneric]

Basquiat was a genius. The average person in my state, Oklahoma, would say "hell thats just scribbles... My 3 year old could do that!" But when you are in the presence of an authentic Basquiat in a museum, it radiates brilliance. Im a painter myself and believe me when I say that painting good looking ABSTRACT style is incredibly difficult.

[morganic]

I lost my younger brother to a drugs OD recently too, so I can sympathise with his sisters. I love the ENERGY & vibrant originality of Jean Michel’s work, as a fellow street artist it inspired me a lot. Now I’m making paintings, sculptures & murals in public to inspired others too… it’s a cyclic process of inspiration & action & exploration

[nobody-wkej]

Even now, his work stands out. You can just tell when you see his pieces.

[mikehisey]

He was a genius and his family needs to open a permanent museum in NYC and put everything they own on display. The world needs to see his vision.

[KimiLondon]

i am so grateful his sisters were able to shine a light on his story. he deserves his flowers and his work lives on forever as a beautiful legacy! ✨

[jamiepo]

What a beautiful man, inside and out. May he rest peacefully. Im so glad this video exists

[Rexaru]

Died at 27 So young... what a Visionary at such young age.

[HeyCati]

It's such a privilege to see Jean Michel's artwork in person the experience was eye-opening he is a genius only if he was still here to see the impact his work has made globally but also how involved his family is .. So darn beautiful 🇭🇹

[hectornegron]

Regards from Puerto Rico beautiful ladies.
RIP Boricua and thank you for giving us yet another reason to be proud.
🙏🙏🌹🇵🇷

[raydeaze]

The way she described what jmb means to some of us specially been a black man who grow up in the hood but didnt have the same mentality as most people around them was just beautiful and on point. Through him i found the strenghs to be mysellf

[jaytum]

Basquiat is extremely misunderstood, and there's no one that can change my mind about that lol. I'm always learning more with Basquiat's work. There's always something new there to discover. There's not many modern artists that have been able to achieve that, to the same extent. Much love to his family for taking the time to do this interview