Art Madrid'25 – Jean-Michel Basquiat in Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

With an Haitian father and mother from Puerto Rico, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) always defended its origins in the streets of Brooklyn, where he was born and raised, marking their facades, underground hydrants, their cars, walls, Dumpsters with paintings. He just turned 18, when he signed as SAMO (Same old shit, "the same old shit") and stood among teenagers in the neighborhood for his intellectual and artistic skills, skills that transformed their graffiti on allegations against social inequalities, by the defense of disadvantaged minorities, true graphic files on the harshness of the time in that city.
Panel de expertos, 1982.
 
 
His first solo exhibition, at age 21, showed those same lines, colors, this young and gifted nerve in dozens of large paintings, objects, papers, being the first graffiti artist (... with Keith Haring) on ??exhibit in a gallery Art, opening new doors to Fine Arts and all contemporary art. The show was a success and all the pieces were sold.
 
In 1982 he participated in Documenta VII and the Whitney Biennial and was in those years when the clever Andy Warlhol adopted him as fetish and they became inseparable, they portrayed each other and signed a friendship / admiration that transcends both. Basquiat's reputation grew as they performed exhibitions in North America and Europe; soon he became a prolific artist and media personality in the cultural field.
Andy Warhol y Basquiat.
 
 
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Now is the time, is an exhibition organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario in partnership with the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, explores some of the most important issues of the innovative work of Basquiat over a hundred paintings and drawings by the artist, ordered for the first time from a thematic perspective.
 
The exhibition is articulated in 8 sections: The street as a studio, Heroes and saints (homage to the "black man"), Claiming stories, Reflex (dedicated to racist episodes of his time, slavery), Dualities and double identity, Playing to cheat: drawings and provocations, a seventh section with collaborations with Warhol, Francesco Clemente, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, and finally, Sampling and scratching. Music, words and collage, their sources of inspiration.

Moises y los egipcios, 1982.

 

His artistic perspective, in which Basquiat fit their entire universe, African-American history, his musical tastes, jazz, street drugs, friends, sports, news, through symbols, text, shapes and images Sometimes seemingly unrelated ... it continues to inspire many current artists and continues to pose to the viewer an invitation to think critically about the world around us.

Los seis de Crimea, 1982.

El hombre de Nápoles, 1982.

 

 

At the most recent edition of Art Madrid, artist Luis Olaso (Bilbao, 1986), represented by Kur Art Gallery (San Sebastián), received the Residency Prize of the Art Madrid Patronage Program. This award, the result of a collaboration between Art Madrid, DOM Art Residence, and the Italian association ExtrArtis, enabled him to undertake an artistic residency in Sorrento (Italy) in August 2025.

Through initiatives like this, the fair reaffirms its support for contemporary creation—a commitment aimed at increasing artists’ visibility and strengthening art collecting through concrete actions such as acquisition prizes, recognition of emerging talents, and international residencies.


Artists in Residence. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


The DOM & ExtrArtis 2025 Residency Program took place in Sorrento from August 1 to 31, 2025. The artists lived together at Relais La Rupe, a 16th-century villa surrounded by cliffs and centuries-old gardens, which became an ideal setting for experimentation and exchange.

In this edition, residents worked around the theme “Reimagining Genius Loci”, an invitation to reflect on how the movement of people and traditions transforms the “spirit of place.” During the residency, DOM organized two public group exhibitions: the first to present the artists’ previous work, and the second to showcase the projects developed in Sorrento.


Work by Luis Olaso. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of Agata D’Esposito.


Luis Olaso’s work moves between expressionist figuration and abstraction, always employing a pictorial language charged with strength and emotion. Initially self-taught, he later graduated in Fine Arts and has developed a solid international career, with exhibitions at venues including JD Malat (London) and Makasiini Contemporary (Turku, Finland), and participation in fairs such as Untitled Miami, Estampa, and Art Madrid itself.

His work is part of prestigious collections, including the Tokyo Contemporary Art Foundation, Fundación SIMCO, and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, and has been recognized in competitions such as the Reina Sofía Prize for Painting and Sculpture and the Ibercaja Young Painting Prize.

In Sorrento, Olaso found a unique context to expand his pictorial research, engaging in dialogue with the Mediterranean landscape and the region’s historical heritage. The residency provided him with time, resources, and a framework for exchange with other international artists, fostering the production of new works that were later presented in the group exhibitions organized by DOM.


Luis Olaso working on his project. DOM & ExtrArtis. Image courtesy of DOM.

Luis Olaso’s experience at DOM Art Residence concluded with a public showcase of the works produced, reinforcing his presence on the international circuit and consolidating his position as one of the most prominent Basque artists on the contemporary scene.


Through initiatives such as this, Art Madrid demonstrates its active role as a platform for direct support of contemporary creation, creating opportunities for research, production, and intercultural dialogue that extend beyond the fair itself and accompany artists in their professional development.