Basquiat and Schiele meet at Fondation Louis Vuitton

Jean-Michel Basquiat and Egon Schiele have more in common than we might think. Almost a hundred years apart, the two artists have not only greatly influenced majors art movements then and now, but have also left a precious testimony to their time behind. For Suzanne Pagé, the artists are “two prophets of art” that the Louis Vuitton Foundation is bringing together in two simultaneous exhibitions until January 14. Under the vaults of the building designed by Frank Gehry, Schiele’s avant-garde expressionism, his inner turmoil, and distorted bodies respond to Basquiat’s rage to paint (his large formats are displayed on the Foundation’s four levels). From pre-war Austria to a early 1980s New York City plagued by racism, violence and consumerism, the visitor (Gaspard Ulliel, Rick Owens, Haider Ackermann, Suzanne Tarasieve, Charles Carmignac…) follows in the footsteps of two artists whose prolific work contrasts with their careers (and life) ending prematurely. The exploration of these two echoing destinies ends on the top floor with the discovery of Basquiat’s “Riding with Death”, exhibited for the first time in Paris.