Back to Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat's sisters, Lisane and Jeanine, break their silence in this revelatory documentary that peels back the myth of his meteoric rise. Unearthed footage traces Basquiat's path from downtown SAMO© graffiti to global fame, including never-before-seen clips from his transformative 1986 journey to Côte d'Ivoire. His canvases pulse with stolen histories, African iconography, fractured anatomy, and scorching commentary on Reagan-era America and the exclusionary whiteness of New York's galleries. Dealers Larry Gagosian, Mary Boone, and Bruno Bischofberger join the sisters to unpack the complex dynamics of his career. Basquiat's life was cut short at 27, yet his legacy, rooted in Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage, continues to confront race, identity, and the toll of a world that consumes its creators. More than a portrait, this is a reckoning with genius and its price.