“So much of what Jean-Michel created was both social study and subjective exploration. ‘Irony of Negro Policeman’, one of Jean-Michel’s earliest and most important works, was painted in 1981. It remains as relevant today as it was forty years ago, as do works featured here addressing similar issues, such as ‘Jailbirds (1983)’ and “Untitled (Edgar)’ n.d. We continue to witness how little the needle has moved and how even more chaotic, destructive, and intractable racism is. “Irony of Negro Policeman” speaks as much to police brutality as it does to the ways that those who are underrepresented turn on each other to attempt to elevate their station in life. “Untitled (Edgar)” references Four Studies of a Male Head, an oil painting by Peter Paul Rubens from 1600 exploring the facial expressions of African men. In that work, Jean-Michel foregrounds the objectification of a Black man using part of his own birthdate (Jean-Michel was born on December 22, 1960) in the context of his identification within this culture as ‘ARBLCKML2260,’ which is a numbering convention similar to those used to identify prisoners. People often ask members of our family to opine on what Jean-Michel may have thought about certain topics, but one only needs to go to his work — Jean-Michel speaks quite clearly and loudly for himself.” –– Lisane Basquiat This Juneteenth we commemorate the end of slavery and celebrate freedom. We wish you a day of reflection, unity, and joy. Artwork: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jailbirds 1983, Irony of Negro Policeman, 1981, Untitled (Edgar), n.d. © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Licensed by Artestar, New York #Basquiat #JeanMichelBasquiat #BasquiatArt #Juneteenth #ArtTok #Blacktok #blacktiktok @Lisane Basquiat @Jean-Michel Basquiat Emporium @Black TikTok