Bird On Money
ArtistJean-Michel Basquiat
Year1981
MediumAcrylic and oil on canvas
MovementNeo-expressionism
Dimensions170 cm × 230 cm (66 in × 90 in)
OwnerRubell Family Collection

Bird on Money is a 1981 painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1981. It is a tribute to jazz musician Charlie Parker, who was nicknamed "Bird." The painting was acquired in 1981 and is housed in the Rubell Family Collection.[1] In 2020, New York rock band the Strokes used the artwork as the cover for their studio album The New Abnormal.[2]

Analysis

Bird on Money was executed in 1981, the year in which he made the transition from a street artist to an established gallery artist. The painting is a tribute to jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, a leading figure in the development of bebop.[3] In 1985, Basquiat told The New York Times Magazine: "Since I was seventeen I thought I might be a star. I'd think about all my heroes, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix… I had a romantic feeling about how these people became famous."[4] Basquiat, like Parker, struggled with heroin addiction.[5] He also paid homage to Parker in the paintings Charles the First (1982) and CPRKR (1982).[6]

Jazz music was a common theme in Basquiat's art and he often painted to jazz music.[7] Basquiat referenced jazz musicians and recordings in over thirty of his paintings, including Discography I (1983), Horn Players (1983), Arm and Hammer II (1984), and King Zulu (1986).[8] Music journalist Tom Terrell wrote in the liner notes of the compilation album Basquiat Salutes Jazz (2005): "As Parker's bebop transcended jazz to influence musical and nonmusical pop culture worldwide, so did Basquiat's legacy impact on hip-hop and Euro-pop, Indie film and post-electric Miles jazz. Both men were absolute Zen masters of trans-cultural improvisation."[9]

Bird on Money depicts a black and blue yardbird in reference to Parker's nickname. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career, which was later shortened to "Bird."[10] Awash in repeated symbols and arrows, the painting invokes death with the drawing of Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, where Basquiat would be laid to rest in 1988.[11] Basquiat, whose mother was Puerto Rican, often incorporated Spanish words into his works such as "PARA MORIR" (in order to die) across from the drawing of Green-Wood Cemetery.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jean-Michel Basquiat". Rubell Museum. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  2. ^ Campbell, Erica (April 13, 2021). "8 Albums With the Most Amazing Artwork". Architectural Digest. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  3. ^ Whitehead, Kevin (August 28, 2020). "Charlie Parker, Born 100 Years Ago, Made Jazz Complexities Sound Deceptively Easy". NPR.org. Archived from the original on 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  4. ^ McGuigan, Cathleen (February 10, 1985). "New Art, New Money". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  5. ^ Steel, Rebecca (January 19, 2018). "The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat: Legacy of a Cultural Icon". Culture Trip. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  6. ^ Fu, Eddie (April 10, 2020). "Here's The Basquiat Painting That Inspired The Strokes' 'The New Abnormal' Cover Art". Genius. Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  7. ^ Eshun, Ekow (September 22, 2017). "Bowie, Bach and Bebop: How Music Powered Basquiat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  8. ^ a b Saggese, Jordana Moore (2014-05-30). Reading Basquiat: Exploring Ambivalence in American Art. Univ of California Press. pp. 55, 85. ISBN 978-0-520-27624-6.
  9. ^ McNally, Owen (December 29, 2005). "New Disc Reflects Art and Influences of Basquiat". The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  10. ^ "How Charlie "YardBird" Parker got his nickname | American Masters | PBS". American Masters. 2020-08-27. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  11. ^ Saggese, Jordana Moore (2021-03-02). The Jean-Michel Basquiat Reader: Writings, Interviews, and Critical Responses. Univ of California Press. p. 312. ISBN 978-0-520-30515-1.
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