Jean-Michel Basquiat
Lee Harvey Oswald, 1983
Felt tip pen on wood
34.2 x 27.5 cm. (13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in.)
Copyright The Artist
Further images
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Lee Harvey Oswald, held in the collection of the esteemed Italian gallerist Salvatore Aka since its acquisition directly from the artist in 1983, is a work of remarkable...
Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Lee Harvey Oswald, held in the collection of the esteemed Italian gallerist Salvatore Aka since its acquisition directly from the artist in 1983, is a work of remarkable rarity and historical resonance. Unseen and never previously exhibited, this extraordinary painting offers a compelling and provocative exploration of the complex mythos surrounding one of the 20th century’s most infamous figures.
Oswald, accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy in 1963, occupies a shadowy place in modern history, his name indelibly linked with criminality, conspiracy, and enduring mystery. Basquiat’s depiction, completed two decades after Oswald’s death, encapsulates this enigma, transforming him into a subject of profound fascination and sharp critique. Through his signature visual lexicon, Basquiat interrogates the cultural and historical significance of Oswald, imbuing the work with a layered commentary on identity, notoriety, and the perpetuation of myth in the contemporary imagination.
In this work, Basquiat centralises Oswald’s figure, reducing it to a minimalist, caricature-like depiction. The angular, almost childlike rendering of his face – composed of stark lines and bold strokes – invites a dialogue on the identity and public perception of Oswald. His likeness is not merely a portrait; it is a reflection of the multiple layers of myth that have accrued around his image since the assassination, a process accelerated by the media’s pervasive portrayal of the event, which was among the first to be broadcast globally. Oswald’s face, thus, became an icon of criminality, forever embedded in the public’s visual consciousness.
Basquiat, who had long been captivated by Oswald’s iconography, was fully aware of this omnipresent association. In his early SAMO© graffiti days, he famously posed the question: “WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS OMNIPRESENT?” listing Oswald alongside other cultural symbols such as the Coca-Cola logo. This reference to his street art persona underscores Basquiat’s keen awareness of the intertwining of historical and pop-cultural imagery – a theme that resonates throughout Lee Harvey Oswald. The incorporation of text within the drawing recalls the very essence of Basquiat’s entry into the art world, where his messages were as potent as his visual language.
The simplicity of Basquiat’s style – raw and unrefined – creates an immediacy that is both visceral and unsettling. The lines, reminiscent of childlike drawing, lend a sense of playfulness, yet also communicate a deep sense of social critique. In reducing Oswald to such a form, Basquiat collapses the boundary between high and low art, drawing on the very roots of street art and urban culture from which he emerged. The pictorial frame around Oswald’s image serves a dual purpose: it visually references the “framing” of Oswald after the assassination while also symbolising the containment of his image in the media, reinforcing the notion of the public figure as a commodity to be consumed.
By engaging with the cult of the image in modern culture, Lee Harvey Oswald interrogates how public figures are shaped by representation, questioning both identity and its commodification. Basquiat’s work speaks to the ways in which images are reappropriated, fragmented, and reframed, urging a reflection on the interplay between history, image, and the construction of truth in the public sphere.
Oswald, accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy in 1963, occupies a shadowy place in modern history, his name indelibly linked with criminality, conspiracy, and enduring mystery. Basquiat’s depiction, completed two decades after Oswald’s death, encapsulates this enigma, transforming him into a subject of profound fascination and sharp critique. Through his signature visual lexicon, Basquiat interrogates the cultural and historical significance of Oswald, imbuing the work with a layered commentary on identity, notoriety, and the perpetuation of myth in the contemporary imagination.
In this work, Basquiat centralises Oswald’s figure, reducing it to a minimalist, caricature-like depiction. The angular, almost childlike rendering of his face – composed of stark lines and bold strokes – invites a dialogue on the identity and public perception of Oswald. His likeness is not merely a portrait; it is a reflection of the multiple layers of myth that have accrued around his image since the assassination, a process accelerated by the media’s pervasive portrayal of the event, which was among the first to be broadcast globally. Oswald’s face, thus, became an icon of criminality, forever embedded in the public’s visual consciousness.
Basquiat, who had long been captivated by Oswald’s iconography, was fully aware of this omnipresent association. In his early SAMO© graffiti days, he famously posed the question: “WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS OMNIPRESENT?” listing Oswald alongside other cultural symbols such as the Coca-Cola logo. This reference to his street art persona underscores Basquiat’s keen awareness of the intertwining of historical and pop-cultural imagery – a theme that resonates throughout Lee Harvey Oswald. The incorporation of text within the drawing recalls the very essence of Basquiat’s entry into the art world, where his messages were as potent as his visual language.
The simplicity of Basquiat’s style – raw and unrefined – creates an immediacy that is both visceral and unsettling. The lines, reminiscent of childlike drawing, lend a sense of playfulness, yet also communicate a deep sense of social critique. In reducing Oswald to such a form, Basquiat collapses the boundary between high and low art, drawing on the very roots of street art and urban culture from which he emerged. The pictorial frame around Oswald’s image serves a dual purpose: it visually references the “framing” of Oswald after the assassination while also symbolising the containment of his image in the media, reinforcing the notion of the public figure as a commodity to be consumed.
By engaging with the cult of the image in modern culture, Lee Harvey Oswald interrogates how public figures are shaped by representation, questioning both identity and its commodification. Basquiat’s work speaks to the ways in which images are reappropriated, fragmented, and reframed, urging a reflection on the interplay between history, image, and the construction of truth in the public sphere.
