JAY-Z and Beyoncé starred in a new Tiffany & Co. ad campaign called “About Love” last month, which saw the Lemonade singer adorning a 128.54-carat Fancy Yellow diamond necklace worth $30 million, among other items of jewelry.
However, neither the Carters nor the carats were the star attraction of the ad; all eyes were on the rare Jean-Michel Basquiat painting that hung in the background.
After receiving backlash on social media for using a famous anti-capitalist artist’s work to sell jewelry, JAY-Z and Beyoncé are now facing criticism from some of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s close friends and collaborators.
“I’d seen the ad a couple days ago and I was horrified,” Alexis Adler, who lived with Basquiat between 1979 and 1980, told The Daily Beast. She added, “The commercialization and commodification of Jean and his art at this point — it’s really not what Jean was about.”
The fact that Basquiat’s never-before-seen robin egg blue painting, dubbed Equals Pi, was first unveiled in an ad campaign and will now permanently hang on the walls of Tiffany’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue is also rubbing Adler the wrong way.
“Unfortunately, the museums came to Jean’s art late, so most of his art is in private hands and people don’t get to see that art except for the shows,” she said. “Why show it as a prop to an ad? Loan it out to a museum. In a time where there were very few Black artists represented in Western museums, that was his goal: to get to a museum.”
Other Basquiat contemporaries such as Al Diaz, who collaborated with the late artist on their street art duo SAMO, believe his work is being misinterpreted and taken out of context.
“People think that his association with luxury was because he was impressed with that shit, but he couldn’t care less,” Diaz said. “It’s not just about wearing an Armani suit. If he wore it, it’s because he could buy it and fuck it up, it wasn’t because the stitches were fabulous or well-made.”
He added, “It’s lost in translation. People won’t see the depth. At this point the only people that could afford a Basquiat are people he was targeting. Like, you’re the oppressor. They buy it out so that it becomes meaningless.”
JAY-Z + Beyoncé Slammed For Posing With Rare Basquiat Painting To Sell Tiffany & Co. Diamond
Meanwhile, Stephen Torton, who framed hundreds of Basquiat’s paintings and worked as his assistant for many years, believes Tiffany’s wouldn’t have even let Basquiat into their store.
“They wouldn’t have let Jean-Michel into a Tiffany’s if he wanted to use the bathroom, or, if he went to buy an engagement ring and pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket,” he stated. “We couldn’t even get a cab.”
In an interview with WWD, Tiffany & Co.’s VP Alexandre Arnault suggested Basquiat’s choice of robin egg blue in the artwork was an ode to the luxury brand.
“We know he loved New York, and that he loved luxury and he loved jewelry,” he said. “My guess is that the [blue painting] is not by chance. The color is so specific that it has to be some kind of homage.”
This is a lot like when he pretended to be on Kaepernicks side but then signed a contract with the NFL and said were past kneeling. Or when he sold out his wife for a one night stand. Or when he gave the artists on the label he was running a pittance for their album budgets but then took $25 million for his own (which was a dud).
But he’s a billionaire so he must be doing something rite!
Thats the whole problem. You assume that a billion dollars is worth it at any cost. To you it doesn’t matter how he got it or how happy he is. Look closely, the man is so broken he betrayed his family. Since that betrayal that man has been in therapy picking up the pieces. If that sounds like the life you want, good luck.
Ha ha did he tell you that??boy stop it and grow up this is the real world it’s his property he can do whatever he wants with his not doing anything illegal. Take a chill pill and have a life stop worrying about celebrities.
1. He has mentioned repeatedly that he’s in therapy to fix his family situation. 2. Don’t forget that people were property once you and that they used the same argument to do whatever they want. Money can never override ethical considerations.
They’re both flakey so what does one expect from these two.
If Jay-Z and Beyonce legally bought it, did not steal it, therefore it is theirs to own and do whatever they want to do with it. We can speculate, that posthumous art should not be for sale or should be a public property but why, shit, it is what it is.
Money rules everything huh? So the heart and soul Basquiat poured into the painting mean nothing. You can see how an anticapitalist like a Basquiat might have a problem with this, right?
Well if you do not like the way art industry works just buy the painting back and give it back to a museum or something, save Basquiat name. Someone bought it it is theirs. Case closed.
Using your argument, whoever has the most money is the king because he can then buy whatever he wants and use it however he wants. Heart, soul, labor, love, all those things have no meaning. Using your argument, if I bought a Bible or a Koran and then chose to desecrate it I have that right. And maybe based on property laws I do, but ethically it’s just wrong.
Oh stop it. As far as I know no money will buy you heart, soul, labor or love so cut the romantic crap and let people enjoy their legally purchased property the way they like.
You just deflected. Using your argument we can desecrate anything we want as long as we pay for it with legal tender. You must really be a jayz fan to have that mentality lmao.
No anti-capitalist would make millions off anything they created, those are called “grifters” & since he sold many paintings while he was alive, he obviously understood how the art world works and enjoyed the money.
On the other hand this could and should be looked at as a way to respect the dead and how the artist might have evolved from some of the things that he damn well resented… And who better that Jay and Bey to show that at he magnitude that the represent… People always want to assume the worst but this could be something even bigger than a just say no from Bassi… Let’s just think in a perfect world where Bassi came to a different heart about capitalism and saw his as a way to feed the hungry or something more benevolent…
If it were a white or/and gay couple this probably wouldn’t be a problem imo.
I think your missing the point. This has nothing to do with the couple, but the fact that it is a Tiffany’s commercial.
Yeah right … if they were white you’d be burning down an art gallery and screaming they have no right to appreciate a black artist … fuck your faux racism
Not buying it. People, this is another of Beyonce and Jay Z pr stunts.
they think they’re so hot. pppppppppppffftttt…..
It’s funny how there has been no backlash on the other companies that have used Basquiat’s images on their merchandise. Companies like Coach, Dr. Marten, Old Navy, Forever 21, and I can keep going. This is odd to me.