In nine short years, Basquiat became one of the most significant painters of the 20th century and an enduring cultural icon. Basquiat was a bundle of contradictions; he made art from the streets, but his work appeared in galleries around the world. As one of the first black artists to achieve international recognition, his methods were completely nontraditional and unschooled.
The painter epitomized cool with his confident and nonchalant aura, his eccentric wardrobe, and of course, his hair. Throughout his career, Basquiat’s hairstyles underwent many changes, but except for the time he spent as SAMO, all of his hairstyles followed the same silhouette: the faux dreadlock that somehow floats in the air.
The photos below show Jean-Michel Basquiat’s unique hairstyles over the years.
