CreatripTeam

The Jean-Michel Basquiat retrospective at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul, running through Jan 31, has drawn nearly 60,000 visitors in a month. The show gathers about 70 paintings and drawings from 1980–1988 plus 153 of Basquiat’s handwritten notebooks from 1980–87, highlighting how the short but prolific career (about eight years, over 3,700 works) transformed New York street graffiti into major contemporary art. The exhibition features works like 1983’s “Museum Guard (Broadway Collapse),” sold for roughly 9.34 million pounds in a 2013 Christie’s sale, and explores Basquiat’s critiques of colonialism, racism and capitalism. The story traces his rise from SAMO (graffiti crew name) beginnings, his New York loft on Great Jones Street (later rented by Angelina Jolie as “Atelier Jolie”), and collaborations and influences—mixing historical, pop-culture and comic symbols in a sampling style. According to UBS, Basquiat ranked top among post‑WWII artists in auction sales last year. The DDP show also offers members-only events such as a private docent night for ticket holders.