“Napoleon Stereotype as Portrayed” is an artwork created in 1983 by the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Rendered using a combination of acrylic, charcoal, crayon, pastel, and pencil, this piece is a part of the Neo-Expressionism and Street Art movements. It is figurative in genre and is a member of “The Daros Suite of Thirty-Two Drawings.” The dimensions of the artwork measure 57 x 76.5 cm, and it currently resides in the Daros Collection in Zürich, Switzerland.
The artwork is a vibrant and chaotic composition characteristic of Basquiat’s signature style, combining textual elements with vivid imagery. The piece contains various fragmented drawings and writings dispersed across the canvas, including a car, multiple textual fragments, abstract shapes, and a prominent figure labeled “Napoleon Stereotype” in a blue hat, which appears centrally and is repeated. The artwork features an array of mixed media, resulting in a textured and layered surface. This complexity provides a commentary that is open to interpretation, highlighting Basquiat’s exploration of themes such as identity, power, and historical narrative.
