Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

The documentary describes Jean-Michel Basquiat going from graffiti in New York to being one of the most expensive contemporary artists in the world within a few years. At nineteen he was writing in the street under the signature SAMO; at twenty one he was showing in galleries; he died at twenty seven. Tamra Davis directs. What distinguishes it is the archive. Davis was a friend and filmed a long interview with him in 1986. That footage went unused for years; it is the spine of the documentary and Basquiat describes his own work. What interests the film is the art market. His rapid rise in value, the conduct of the dealers and how a black artist was positioned in a white market are taken on directly; the narrative does not present it as a success story. The relationship with Andy Warhol is a section of its own. Their joint exhibition was badly reviewed and Basquiat came apart quickly after Warhol's death. Dealers, friends and figures from the art world of the period speak. The limit is closeness; because the director was a friend she keeps no distance on some subjects and the addiction is not dug into enough. Who it is for: anyone interested in contemporary art and the New York of the eighties. Who it is not for: the structure is chronological and conventional, the critical view is limited, and the argument about the art market stays on the surface.