James Brown Rediscovered in Milan Exhibition

Galleria Scaramouche in Milan is hosting a posthumous exhibition of James Brown (1951–2020), an American artist who was a key figure in the 1980s New York art scene alongside Basquiat, Haring, and Schnabel. The show, located near Fondazione Prada, features nearly 30 works from his golden period (1981–1986), including paintings, ceramics, and works on paper and inlaid wood. Brown's style blends Modernismo, Art Brut, Graffitismo, and Primitivism, drawing from African tribal art, Etruscan votive bronzes, and Christian iconography. He was part of the Neo-modernist East Village group and was represented by top gallerists Tony Shafrazi, Leo Castelli, Lucio Amelio, Larry Gagosian, and Bruno Bischofberger. After tiring of New York, he moved to Oaxaca, Mexico, where he founded Carpe Diem Press in 2000 with Alexandra Condon. He died in a car accident in Mexico in 2020, along with his wife. The exhibition aims to revive his legacy, noting that unlike Haring and Basquiat, Brown lived longer and was not as quickly historicized. A catalog with essays by Demetrio Paparoni and Richard Milazzo is forthcoming.