I wrote this article for MutualArt about the problem with hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin’s purchase of a Basquiat for $100,000,000. In it, I describe the issue faced by US museums that it doesn’t really matter how many paintings by minority artists they buy, nor how many of their employees are from minorities – they will always be accused of virtue-signaling until their aristocratic, white boards include minority members who are equally as rich as them.
You can see why Basquiat made such a huge impact on the art world by flipping through this lovely volume of his energetic work, published by Taschen.
