Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Artist and the Man

The lecture will give a detailed account of Jean-Michel Basquiat both as an artist, and as a man. It will explain why his paintings now sell for record prices at auction. He was born in Brooklyn in 1960 of Puerto Rican and Haitian descent. Aged eight, he was badly injured in a RTA, the impact of which showed itself in much of his early art. On the streets, in his teenage years, he made graffiti along with other budding New York graffiti artists. But once he moved off the streets, and into Andy Warhol’s protective world, he gained a reputation for studio-based neo-expressionist art full of graffiti-like logos and images, with historical and political overtones. Basquiat died of a heroin overdose aged 27. It was a great loss as the last months of his life were full of new artistic promise.

Lecturer: Ray Warburton 

Ray Warburton has had a lifelong interest in art. On retiring from health and social care work in 2012, art took over. Ray became a guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern in that year. From 2014 to 2017, he studied art history at university, and was awarded an MA. In 2017, Ray became an accredited lecturer with The Arts Society, and today offers lectures on a wide range of subjects from Joseph Wright of Derby to LS Lowry to Street Art in the UK.

Date: Tuesday 20th April 2027
Time: 2.30pm - Please arrive a little earlier to be seated.
Venue: Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1JH.

Guest tickets will be available to book in the New Year