The Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) will present "Basquiat: Figures, Signs, Symbols," the largest exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat's work ever mounted in Florida, opening June 25, 2026. The show features ten works from the collection of billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin, including the iconic "Untitled" (1982), which sold for $110.5 million at Sotheby's and reportedly traded for $200 million in 2024. Curated by PAMM director Franklin Sirmans, the exhibition focuses on Basquiat's portraiture, use of text and coded language, and his layered visual vocabulary drawing from world history, Renaissance anatomy, hip-hop, and 1980s New York street culture.
This exhibition matters because it deliberately shifts attention away from Basquiat's market mythology—his record-breaking auction prices—and toward the substance of his artistic practice. By placing the work in Miami, a city with deep ties to migration and cultural hybridity, the show highlights Basquiat's own heritage as the son of a Puerto Rican mother and Haitian father, giving his exploration of identity and diaspora particular resonance. The exhibition runs through June 2027, offering an extended opportunity to engage with Basquiat's legacy beyond the auction block.