See how Basquiat’s travels to the Swiss Alps influenced his artistic development

Known for his subversive, graffiti-inspired style, artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is often associated with New York City in the 1980s. Now a new exhibition reveals a lesser-known source of inspiration for the visionary artist: the Swiss Alps.

Titled “Jean-Michel Basquiat: Engadin”, the show in the Hauser & Wirth St. Moritz in Switzerland shows more than a dozen works that the artist created in St. Moritz, Zurich, Appenzell and various parts of the Alpine valley region of the Engadine.

“Sometimes the ‘x artist abroad’ format can feel a bit forced, often constructed to artificially attract new audiences or new markets for their work,” writes the Art newspaperby Matthew Holman. “But Basquiat’s time in the Engadine is a real blind spot in our understanding of one of the most studied artists of the post-war period.”

Basquiat first visited Switzerland in 1982 after meeting Bruno Bischofbergera Swiss art dealer who became captivated by the artist and championed his work throughout Europe. The artist planned the trip to attend the opening of his own solo exhibition at Bischofberger’s gallery. But when he got there, he said, “no opening was planned.” Christie’s. Instead, the dealer took him to Appenzell, an environment that left a lasting impression.

“From then on, Jean-Michel Basquiat often visited me in Switzerland, where he particularly enjoyed it,” says Bischofberger, according to the exhibition website. “About six times in Zurich and exactly seven times in St. Moritz, four of which are in the summer.”

One of the most elaborate pieces on display is a nine-panel artwork called Dutch colonists (1982). The painting combines words and symbols related to colonialism and slavery with images reminiscent of the Engadin, such as mountains, pine trees and ibexes.

Surrounded by the serene snow-capped mountains, Basquiat had a new place to relax and channel ideas. “What emerges is a contrast between the pulsating life, the nightclubs, the street noise and the breakneck speed of the New York metropolis and the artist’s ‘discovery of slowness’,” writes Basquiat scholar. Dieter Buchhartaccording to the gallery.

Basquiat also reinterpreted crucial moments in history through the lens of the Swiss Alps. In Big snow (1984), he uses the Alpine setting to explore Jesse Owens’ victory at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. To ward off ghosts (1986) explores themes of loneliness and spirituality, drawing inspiration from his time in Zurich and St. Moritz. Switzerland was also where Basquiat and Bischofberger began discussing the artist’s collaboration with Andy Warhol Francesco Clemente.

If Design treeKat Barandy writes: “This collaboration marked a transformative period in his career and underlined the importance of Switzerland not only as a source of inspiration, but also as a melting pot for artistic innovation.”

“Jean-Michel Basquiat: Engadine” is on view until March 29, 2025 at Hauser & Wirth St. Moritz in Switzerland.