Zeitgeist Events
held in conjunction with the 107th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Zeitgeist: The Art Scene of Teenage Basquiat
Zeitgeist: The Art Scene of Teenage Basquiat is a group exhibition focusing on the artists and scene around Jean-Michel Basquiat’s teen-aged, pre-fame years. Curated by Howl! Happening, Sara Driver, Carlo McCormick, and Mary-Ann Monforton, Zeitgeist first appeared at Howl! Happening: An Arturo Vega Project from May 13 – June 10, 2018 (extended to July 29, 2018) to complement and amplify the theatrical release of Sara Driver’s film BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat from Magnolia Pictures. The film premiered on May 11th at IFC, New York.
The period covered in the exhibition and film tells the story of Jean-Michel’s early work, peers, and creative community in gritty, pre-AIDS, downtown New York—before the rise of the 80s art and real estate juggernaut. It was a time when decay, drugs, and dissolution fueled a boom in creativity where the definition of fame, success, and power was not based on money, Facebook likes, and self-promotion.
Tuesday, October 2, 7 p.m.
Film Screening: DOWNTOWN 81
directed by Edo Bertoglio (1981, 72 min)
Starring the legendary American painter, graffiti artist, poet and musician Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), DOWNTOWN 81 is both a post-modernist fairytale and a vivid depiction of the downtown New York art and music scene in the early 1980s. The film chronicles a day in the life of a 19 year-old starving artist (Basquiat) who must raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. Hoping to sell a painting to earn the rent, he wanders the downtown streets, painting in hand, encountering painters, models, junkies, graffiti artists, rappers and rockers whose lives and performances provide a slice of life from one of the most exciting periods in American culture. Refreshments and a cash bar (beer/wine).
Tuesday, October 9, 7 p.m.
Film Screening: JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT: THE RADIANT CHILD
directed by Tamra Davis (2010, 93 min)
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary, but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. The film features interviews with Julian Schnabel, Larry Gagosian, Bruno Bischofberger, Tony Shafrazi, Fab 5 Freddy, Jeffrey Deitch, Glenn O’Brien, Maripol, Kai Eric, Nicholas Taylor, Fred Hoffmann, Michael Holman, Diego Cortez, Annina Nosei, Suzanne Mallouk, and Rene Ricard, among many others.
Saturday, October 20, 11 a.m.
Berlind Symposium: Artist Talk by Lee Quiñones
Doors open at 10:30 a.m. for coffee and refreshments. One of several artists to gain fame from the New York City Subway graffiti movement, Quiñones’ style is rooted in popular culture, often with political messages, along with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Quiñones was one of the innovators of New York’s street-art movement and is considered one of the most influential artists to emerge from the graffiti era.
Saturday, October 20, 2 p.m.
Berlind Symposium: Reading by Luc Sante
A writer and critic in New York City, Sante was also an acquaintance of Jean-Michel Basquiat in the early 1980s. He has written a number of books and is a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books. Reception to follow.
Saturday, October 20, 7 p.m.
Berlind Symposium: Screening of Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Introduction and post-screening discussion by the film’s director, Sara Driver ’77. Boom for Real follows Basquiat’s life pre-fame and how New York City, the times, the people and the movements surrounding him formed the artist he became. Using never-before-seen works, writings and photographs, director Sara Driver ’77, who was part of the New York arts scene herself, worked closely and collaboratively with friends and other artists. Drawing upon their memories and anecdotes, the film also uses period film footage, music and images to visually re-recreate the era, drawing a portrait of Jean-Michel and Downtown New York City -pre AIDS, President Reagan, the real estate and art booms – before anyone was motivated by money and ambition. The definition of fame, success and power were very different than today – to be a penniless but published poet was the height of success, until everything changed in the early 1980s. This is New York City’s story before that change. Cash bar (beer/wine) and refreshments provided.
Sunday, October 21, 2 p.m.
Berlind Symposium: Panel discussion moderated by Sara Driver ’77 with Alexis Adler, Lee Quiñones, Mary-Ann Monforton and Luc Sante. Reception to follow.
Tuesday, October 23, 7 p.m.
Film Screening: BASQUIAT directed by Julian Schnabel (1996, 108 min)
A biopic of a major artistic figure of the NYC art scene of the 1980s, made by another major figure of that same moment, BASQUIAT was the directorial debut of painter Julian Schnabel. BASQUIAT tells the story of the meteoric rise of youthful artist Jean Michel Basquiat. Starting out as a street artist, living in Thompkins Square Park in a cardboard box, Basquiat becomes a star and a part of Andy Warhol’s art world circle. But success has a price, and Basquiat pays with friendships, love, and eventually, his life. Performances by Jeffrey Wright, Gary Oldman, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Hopper, Courtney Love, Parker Posey, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Walken, and David Bowie.
Tuesday, October 30, 7 p.m.
Postponed until Thursday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m. for Vigil for Pittsburgh at Agudath Sholom (2055 Langhorne Road) at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30.
Film Screening: SHADOWMAN directed by Oren Jacoby (2017, 82 minutes)
In the 1980s, Richard Hambleton was the Shadowman, a specter in the night who painted hundreds of startling silhouettes on the walls of lower Manhattan and, along with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, sparked the street art movement. Oren Jacoby’s SHADOWMAN plunges the viewer into the chaotic life of a forgotten artist, from early fame as a painter and denizen of the Lower East Side, through his struggles with heroin, to his surprising comeback as street art exploded to become one of the most popular and lucrative art movements in the world. Before Banksy, there was Hambleton.
Saturday, November 10, 7 p.m.
Film Screening and Dance Party: WILD STYLE directed by Charlie Ahearn (1983, 82 min)
Charlie Ahearn’s seminal WILD STYLE is a loosely-scripted narrative film that also functions as an invaluable glimpse into the graffiti and hip hop cultures, showcasing the art and music of legends such as Fab 5 Freddy and graffiti artist Lee Quinones. Its story follows the exploits of maverick tagger Zoro (Quinones), whose work attracts the attention of an East Village art fancier (Patti Astor) who commissions him to paint the stage for a giant Rapper’s Convention, and features additional appearances from Grandmaster Flash, Busy Bee, The Cold Crush Brothers, and more.
Following the screening of Wild Style, stick around for a 1980s style dance party in the Museum complete with black lights, a DJ, cash bar and refreshments.