Today it was officially announced that Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z are the new faces of Tiffany & Co. Together for the first time in the “Above Love” ad campaign for the luxury jewelry brand, the landmark photoshoot also features a never-before-seen painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat in the jeweler’s signature color robin egg blue.
In regard to the painting, the company’s EVP of products and communications Alexandre Arnault spoke about potential connections between Basquiat and Tiffany. “We don’t have any literature that says he made the painting for Tiffany,” explained Arnault. “But we know a little bit about Basquiat. We know his family. We did an exhibition of his work at the Louis Vuitton Foundation a few years back. We know he loved New York, and that he loved luxury and he loved jewelry. My guess is that the blue painting is not by chance. The color is so specific that it has to be some kind of homage.”
Since his death at the age of 27 on August 12, 1988, Basquiat’s art has risen to icon status; and much of what is written about the man is connected to his art. So, what is it about his work that resonates today?
Outside of his newly revealed work for Tiffany & Co., Basquiat has had a bevy of memorable moments throughout his life and career. In his short life, Basquiat came to play an important role in the rise of the downtown cultural scene in New York as well as the Neo-Expressionism artistic style. He was very productive as a painter and was driven by his unwavering need to create, and to improve the scope and scale of his work, thus inspiring generations of artists after him. Read below for interesting facts about the artist.