Jay-Z and Beyonc posed in front a Basquiat painting never before seen. The painting was reimagined using the Tiffany Blue color. Tiffany & Co.
In a new Tiffany & Co campaign, Jay Z and Beyonc feature a Basquiat painting.
It didn't reflect him, his friends and collaborators complained.
One stated that his art should be available in a museum.
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Jay-Z and Beyonc were featured in a new Tiffany & Co. Campaign. The campaign also included a "priceless necklace" and Jean-Michel Basquiat's artwork that was not publicly displayed before.
However, the friends and collaborators of the artist are not happy.
Alexis Adler, who lived in Basquiat's home between 1979 and 1980, said to The Daily Beast that she saw the advertisement a few days before and was shocked.
She stated that Jean's art and Jean's work are being commodified and commercialized at this time.
Tiffany later purchased the artwork in the campaign from a private collection.
Insider reached out to representatives from Tiffany & Co. and Jay-Z for comments.
Adler stated that Basquiat, who was 27 years old when he died in 1988, wanted his art to be preserved in museums and accessible.
Jean's art was unfortunately lost to museums late so the majority of Jean's art is now in private hands. People don't have the opportunity to see it except during the shows. It's not a prop for an advertisement. She told The Daily Beast.
"Lend it to a museum. He wanted to go to a museum, even though there were few Black artists in Western museums at the time.
Stephen Torton, Basquiat's assistant, told The Daily Beast that Tiffany wouldn't have respected Basquiat while he was alive. "They wouldn't let Jean-Michel in a Tiffany's if Jean-Michel wanted to use the toilet or if he tried to buy an engagement band and took a wad out of his pocket. We were unable to even hail a taxi.
Torton and other art-world curators said that Basquiat didn't intend for the blues in his artworks to be like Tiffany's.
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Torton posted on Instagram: "The notion that this background blue, which I mixed up and applied, was in any way connected to Tiffany Blue is so absurd I initially chose not to comment. This perverse appropriation is too much.
A long-time curator of Basquiat's artworks, who requested not to be identified, said that he didn't believe Basquiat was referring to the Tiffany blue but that it wouldn't have been used to sell Tiffany's, but that it would be used to criticize blood diamond extraction or something. It's just a stretch.
Basquiat's artwork has been used in commercial collaborations before. It was previously used by luxury brands as well.
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