(AllHipHop News) Three of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s most notable works (In Italian, Hollywood Africans, St. Joe Louis Surrounded By Snakes) have inspired a new capsule Video shopping app NTWRK and the Rome Pays Off brand partnered with the Basquiat Estate for the limited-run collection.
“We’re honored to be working with the Basquiat Estate on this capsule for NTWRK, it’s an opportunity to bring the artist’s work and worldview to life in new ways for an entirely new generation of artists, dreamers, and creators,” says Rome Pays Off CEO Christina Burns.
Holland Smith, NTWRK’s Director of Merchandising, adds, “We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Rome Pays Off and the Basquiat Estate for this drop. The aesthetic and narrative of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work is a perfect fit for our members, several thousand of which have already pre-registered for a chance to shop the Basquiat capsule.”
“Basquiat: Presented by Rome Pays Off” drops today (September 22) at 9 pm ET. Consumers will be able to purchase exclusive t-shirts, hoodies, face masks, jigsaw puzzles, tote bags, and an all-natural rubber yoga mats.
Vice producer and writer Abdullah Saeed will host a live broadcast on NTWRK to introduce the collection. Basquiat’s niece and fashion model, Jessica Kelly, will also be part of the campaign.
“Jean-Michel would have been perfectly at home in today’s remix culture,” states to Lisane Basquiat, the artist’s sister. She goes on to say, “The restless, indomitable spirit of today’s youth, reflects the energy of my brother’s work. The story of his meteoric rise through what was once a mostly white art world is the kind of inspiration we need out there today.”
Basquiat started his journey in the art world as a New York City-based graffiti artist in the 1970s. His street art-inspired work eventually made it into galleries. Before his death in 1988 at the age of 27, Basquiat began showing his neo-expressionist pieces around the world.
In 2017, Basquiat’s “Untitled” (1982) sold for $110.5 million to Japanese businessman Yusaku Maezawa at a Sotheby’s auction. The iconic painter has been referenced in countless Hip Hop songs such as Jay-Z’s “Picasso Baby,” Nas’s “Land of Promise,” J. Cole’s “Rich N*ggaz,” Lil Wayne’s “John,” Rick Ross’s “Three Kings,” Nipsey Hussle’s “Face The World,” and A$AP Rocky’s “Phoenix.”