Daily Appreciation
Taxi, 45th/Broadway brilliantly embodies the dynamic union of two of the 20th century’s most formidable artistic geniuses. Each a highly-influential figure in his own right, Basquiat and Warhol began collaborating together in the mid-1980s, in preparation for a joint exhibition at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York in 1985. These collaboration paintings represent Basquiat’s only venture with another artist. From different generations and backgrounds, and indeed at different stages in their lives and careers, their mutual respect for each other’s style and aesthetic formed the basis of an intimate friendship.
Capitalizing on the narrative power of imagery, Taxi 45th/Broadway deftly engages with art history, politics and race. A black man, made invisible in the black darkness of night, endures the label “Negro” as he unsuccessfully attempts to hail a cab, while a white taxi driver ignores his plea and instead curses profanities at him. Despite Basquiat’s meteoric ascension from downtown graffiti street artist to famous icon of the 1980s New York art scene — of which Warhol was critical in eliciting — his race still prevailed as his primary identifier outside the realm of the art world. The present composition therefore reflects on a deeply personal and frustrating recurrence in Basquiat’s everyday life. Taxi, 45th/Broadway was previously in the collection of Gianni Versace, and auctioned by Sotheby’s in London in 2005. The work has remained in the same collection since.
#Art Poetry
