The Currier Museum in Manchester hosted its first Art off the Walls evening event series Thursday night with a glimpse into the 1980s Brooklyn underground and graffiti art scene, featuring the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat. The event was presented as a celebration of Black History Month.
Basquiat rose from an unknown artist to one of prestige, and his works feature themes of wealth versus poverty, as well as racism and colonialism within the neo-expressionism movement. Four of Basquiat’s paintings have been on display at the Currier since the fall, alongside Ouattara Watts, a renowned African and Western aesthetic painter. The exhibit is coming to a close this weekend.
At Thursday's event, local gallerist Bill Stelling shared stories about what it was like to work with Basquiat and other artists. Now active in the local arts and culture scene, including on the New Hampshire State Arts Council, Stelling used to run The Fun Gallery in New York City from 1981 to 1985, where he showcased some of Basquiat’s works.
“He was a friend,” Stelling said. “We had this cool gallery where all these street artists were showing, and he wanted to be a part of that.”
Stelling recalled how the artist had him install a late night gallery addition in the early hours of the morning as Basquiat wanted it in at the last minute. He also recalled how the gallery lost a work of his art — a mirror Basquiat painted over at the gallery with a crown and "SAMO," a tag used during his graffiti days — when it was scrubbed by a cleaner.
Stelling ran the Fun Gallery with the late actress Patti Astors. He said they ran the gallery more like a performance piece, rather than as a business. He noted during his talk at the Currier that the gallery was in a dilapidated building that should have been condemned, with rust stains spreading across a leaking ceiling.
“Every show was like putting on production,” Stelling said. “Openings were just mobbed, we had hundreds and hundreds of people there. It was a very special time."
