‘KABOOM!’ – why Basquiat’s explosive art should be listened to, not just looked at | Jean-Michel Basquiat
Walking through the gallery, it’s the loudness of the paintings that hits you. A work from 1982, Anybody Speaking Words, is in screaming yellow and black, with a tonsil-filled mouth singing the word “OPERA, OPERA, OPERA” while the performer’s body vibrates with lines, squiggles and curlicues. King Zulu is a field of loud sky-blue populated with the figures of legendary jazz artists: Louis Armstrong clutching his trumpet, Charlie Parker on saxophone, an all-star band for all time. Not far away, you encounter Armstrong and…