Basquiat's Intense Works on Paper Star in First Danish Exhibition

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, is hosting 'Headstrong', a retrospective of 50 works on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988), running until May 17, 2026. The exhibition focuses on depictions of the human head and body created between 1981 and 1983, first shown posthumously in 1990. This is Basquiat's first solo museum show in Scandinavia, featuring loans from private collections and international museums. The series, long overlooked by critics, remained hidden in his studio until after his death. The drawings are characterized by layered lines and colors, with heads centered on the page—not preliminary sketches but finished works. Teeth are often clenched like grids, suggesting psychological states from terror to rage. Eyes and mouths appear as spouts, with frenetic contours giving an aura of visions or hallucinations. The works reflect the decay of the individual amid the wealth, hypocrisy, and violence of late Reagan-era America. Basquiat's early career included graffiti in the East Village at age 15, participation in the 1980 'Times Square Show' sponsored by Collaborative Projects Incorporated, and the 1981 'New York/New Wave' exhibition alongside Robert Mapplethorpe, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Kenny Scharf. His art embodies street culture, jazz rhythms, and African tribal essence, confronting racial issues and urban despair.