Currently on view at the Barbican is the first large-scale UK exhibition of the work of American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. The exhibit includes over 100 large-scale works sourced from museums and private collections from all over the world. The presentation also includes rare film, photography, and archive material that when juxtaposed with the larger work capture the essence and broad scope of one of the world’s most prolific self-taught artists.

Basquiat’s work focused mainly on race, politics, and class struggle. His early career saw him as part of a street-art duo known as SAMO in downtown Manhattan. By the 1980s Basquiat had emerged as a household name within the world of fine art and was exhibiting his Neo-Expressionist paintings in galleries and museums worldwide until his death from overdose at 27 years-old.

“Basquiat: Boom for Real” is on view at the Barbican Art gallery until January 28th, 2018.