Earlier this month, the Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© Exhibition, curated and produced by the family of Jean-Michel Basquiat launched in LA. LL COOL J recently sat down with Jeanine Heriveaux and Lisane Basquiat, the sisters of the world-renowned artist.
"Jean-Michel had a purpose," Lisane said during the interview. "He was really driven, and he felt resistance. No one really understood what it was that he had within him. And if you look around at his artwork, like, this is a lot of energy to have within yourself in a world where you have dreadlocks, and it’s the 70s and you're a Black guy, and people don't understand where you're coming from because there were no role models for him. There wasn't a Kehinde Wiley, or someone else for him to point to, where he can say, 'Oh, there's this Black man, who has done this thing.' So it was a constant challenge. He didn't say these words to me but I would offer that I think it was like, he knew it was a challenge but he was navigating it. He was figuring out how to flow through and around that challenge and to show people that what he had within him was something they truly needed and wanted to see."
