An intimate collection of early Jean-Michel Basquiat works and ephemera, titled "Our Friend, Jean," is returning to Brooklyn's The Bishop Gallery starting May 16, 2026. The exhibition draws primarily from the archive of Alexis Adler, Basquiat's former roommate and partner from 1979–80, and includes paintings on sweatshirts, postcards, writings, and photographs Adler took of the artist. Originally presented in 2019, the show traveled to six historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) between 2022 and 2024, attracting 10,000 visitors and involving students in the installation process.
This exhibition matters because it reframes Basquiat's legacy within Black art history, curated by Black Brooklynite gallerists who share his background and understand the racial discrimination he faced. The HBCU tour was a historic first for Basquiat's work, bringing his early pieces to young Black students who were the same age as the artist when he created them. The show's return to Brooklyn, Basquiat's birthplace, reconnects his formative art with the community and context that shaped him, offering an intimate counterpoint to the commercial frenzy of New York's spring art fairs.