It is no secret that music was a huge influence on Jean-Michel’s artwork. Take, for instance, his painting, King Zulu (1986), which is a vibrant homage to the history of early jazz, and features legendary trumpeters Bix Beiderbecke, Bunk Johnson and Howard McGhee. In the middle is a grinning mask inspired by an image of Louis Armstrong, another of Basquiat’s esteemed heroes, who was crowned “King Zulu” at the Mardi Gras parade in 1949. Ph. Jean-Michel Basquiat, “King Zulu” (1986). Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA)