The Art World Loves Us When We’re Dead or Trend, But What About Now?

Consider the case of Jean-Michel Basquiat. He was often viewed as a chaotic genius, a raw, untrained street artist with talent during his short life. Basquiat was an artist who went outside the box and defied the odds. Basquiat was tokenized, romanticized, and misunderstood. Basquiat battled the pressures of sudden stardom and the racial and cultural alienation that came with it. He wasn’t seen as a “master” while he was alive, until he died. Basquiat died tragically at the age of 27 from a heroin overdose. Today, Basquiat's paintings are auctioned for millions. Between 2000 and 2018, the value of his works increased by nearly 1,000%. His iconic crown motif is now printed on sneakers, mugs, and tote bags. Although his life is beautifully remembered, the sad reality is usually glossed over. His struggle is now turned into a brand, and people who excluded him are now benefiting from his work and legacy. Countless other artists suffered from the fate of being discovered after death. If you were to visit a museum today, most of the work being displayed, the creators of those pieces are more than likely not alive. This cycle is not exclusive to Basquiat. Vincent van Gogh, though not a Black artist, represents another example of an artist appreciated after death. He died poor, mentally ill, and highly criticized during his time. Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. Van Gogh’s brushwork and his use of color are now foundational to modern art. He is highly credited now, but where was the support when he was alive? 

                                    Lack of support

Black artists deserve to be appreciated when they are alive because they have as much artistic value as anyone else. They are not deemed as valuable as their white counterparts. Some black artists talk about their lived experiences, which the masses do not relate to or bother to learn about. Some topics are uncomfortable, for example, the conversation of slavery, systematic oppression, police brutality, and so on. Some black artists do not even get the opportunities to get into rooms that would get them further in their artistic endeavors. In majority black spaces, a lot of the youth do not get the chance to get discovered, start a journey, or even have a chance to begin. Or when black individuals or youth decide to get into the arts, they face obstacles like a lack of support and hardships due to financial reasons. Funding is primarily in specific communities, where the people get resources and programs to be discovered. The few black artists who make it out face a lot of hardships to make it to where they are, or have to work twice as hard. This goes back to the saying that artist are mainly appreciated after their demise. Appreciation varies from person to person, and what they deem as artistic. The general recurring theme in these instances is are lack of support and perception of one's artistry being overlooked when alive, then being appreciated after they are long gone.