Basquiat: the intensity of angry art

A body in the middle of nowhere. An oversized head. Bared, serrated teeth, electrified hair and widespread arms. The self-portrait or representation of the self often appears in the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, yet he seldom managed to raise his angry voice as powerfully as in this figure composed of dark and blood red pigment. The work in the MACBA Collection shows the vibrant line and intense brushstrokes with which this American artist screamed against the world. ‘I don't think about art when I’m working. I try to think about life’, the artist explained in 1986. Basquiat’s scream comes to us today with renewed strength.