The artwork titled “Olympic” was created by Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1983. Utilizing a combination of mediums including acrylic, charcoal, crayon, pastel, and pencil, this piece falls under the Neo-Expressionism and Street art movements. Measuring 57 by 76.5 cm, it is a part of the figurative genre and belongs to “The Daros Suite of Thirty-Two Drawings”. Currently, the artwork is housed in the Daros Collection located in Zürich, Switzerland.
In “Olympic”, Basquiat employs his signature energetic and chaotic style. The artwork is a collage of various symbols, figures, and text, rendered in vibrant colors and bold strokes. Disparate elements such as a car, a figure, and textual elements including “TRICK BLACK SOAP” and “OLMPIC” are linked together through vigorous lines and patches of color. The composition is emblematic of Basquiat’s use of neo-expressionist techniques, reflecting themes of social commentary and personal iconography. The overlapping and fragmented images hint at a deeper narrative or critique, characteristic of Basquiat’s complex and provocative body of work.
