Basquiat, the Blue Ribbon Paintings, and the Art of Reproduction

A fascinating look at the role of printmaking in the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat

The Blue Ribbon paintings represent a pivotal moment in Jean-Michel Basquiat’s short but prolific career. Created in 1984 during a period of intense experimentation by the artist, these mixed-media compositions combine the vibrancy of acrylic paint and oil stick with the reproducibility of silkscreen, blurring the lines between painting and printmaking. Taking these richly textured, visually charged canvases as a point of departure, this book offers new insights into the central role of printmaking across Basquiat’s art and practice.

Basquiat, the Blue Ribbon Paintings, and the Art of Reproduction sheds critical light on the artist’s engagement with the creative possibilities of reproductive media, showing how it is intrinsically aligned with the conceptual questions around identity, reproduction, and language that occupied him throughout his career. Additionally, the volume places Basquiat in conversation with artists who profoundly influenced his visual practice—including Leonardo da Vinci, Andy Warhol, and Robert Rauschenberg, as well as Black artists and printmakers such as Robert Blackburn—to reveal a more expansive view of an artist often framed only as a painter.

Distributed for the Princeton University Art Museum