The exhibition “Our Friend, Jean” returns to Brooklyn this May at The Bishop Gallery, coinciding with Frieze Week. The show features twenty artworks alongside personal ephemera and photographs from Jean-Michel Basquiat’s formative years between 1979 and 1980, primarily sourced from the collection of his former roommate Alexis Adler. This iteration includes previously unseen items from Adler’s trove, such as hand-painted garments and postcards, and will be activated by panels featuring Basquiat’s early collaborators.
This exhibition serves as a critical effort to humanize Basquiat’s legacy, moving away from the astronomical auction prices and commercial branding that often dominate his narrative. By focusing on his life before global fame, the show highlights the importance of grassroots preservation and the role of his original inner circle in maintaining the integrity of his history. Furthermore, the Bishop Gallery’s plan to establish a research center to house these archives signals a long-term commitment to keeping this intimate history accessible to the public in the artist's hometown.