Photography by Richard Corman.
Jean-Michel Basquiat has been venerated and canonised in art history and pop culture to the point where it is difficult to imagine him as a person, let alone as part of the workday – but this is exactly how photographer Richard Corman got to know the iconic artist. Corman’s 1984 shoot with Basquiat for L’Uomo Vogue is the subject of the new book Basquiat: ‘A Portrait’, showcasing shots of the artist at the moment when he was cementing his place in history.
“I was well aware that Basquiat was on his way to stardom in the art world,” Corman says. “He was well received in much of the art community as he was represented by Mary Boone in 1984 and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City had exhibited some of his work.” At the time, the photographer was himself a young artist and he was taken aback at the experience of shooting the Neo-expressionist artist. “I think Basquiat wanted to be recognized as a formidable artist and knew he was riding that wave, but I never felt he was a diva and full of himself,” he says.
The photos show a serious, yet approachable, Basquiat, dressed in white trousers, a tweed chevron blazer and a simple button down. While the portraits project a sense of serenity, this is not exactly the feeling Corman encountered when he stepped into the artist’s loft at 57 Great Jones Street. The photographer describes the experience as being “engulfed in a wave of creative confusion.” “I think this space ultimately allowed him a comfort zone to create his unique art that was fearless, confrontational and a canvas that had never been seen prior,” he says.
For Corman – who has spent the past 35 years photographing everyone from Nelson Mandela to Madonna – his sitting with Basquiat encapsulated the “creative carnival” of the 1980’s in New York City, where people with informal training were allowed to test out the creative world and inexperience was an advantage.
As for the present, the photographer is turning his lens towards active and retired transgender members of the armed forces in TRANSMILITARY.
Photography by Richard Corman
The limited edition Basquiat: ‘A Portrait’ is now available from Vero.