Showing posts with label Jean-Michel Basquiat Barbie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jean-Michel Basquiat Barbie. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Jean-Michel Basquiat Barbie Review

Stock photo of Jean-Michel Basquiat Barbie

Three words: I love her!

This doll is artistic perfection. Even the box screams Jean-Michel Basquiat with his artwork and iconic symbols throughout. I hope those who have deboxed their dolls will not discard the box.  I purchased two dolls with the plan to debox one, but I am having second thoughts about doing that now. That's just how impressed I am with the whole package.

I took several photos with and without flash. My photos do not do the doll or box justice. They are shared next.

Full view of the boxed doll
The doll uses the Nichelle head sculpt, which was first used in 1990 in the Shani doll line.

This facial close-up includes a closer look at the box background art of Jean-Michel Basquiat.
The facial screening is not as intense as the prototype images illustrate, which is a plus for me. I had initially thought the black eye lining would be too heavy based on the prototype photos, but it is not heavy on the production doll. The hair is styled in four sections of microbraids.

Dressed in a three-piece suit of a jacket, shirt, and wide-bottom pants, accessories include a tie, belt, gold crown, and red boots. The outfit is covered with several Basquiat drawings and paintings.

The tie and jacket lapels have abstract facial images.
What appears to be a self-portrait of Basquiat is an image of a brown-skinned man on the doll's tie. Graphic facial images are on both lapels of the jacket.

Barbie's belt
The lengthy, nylon webbed black belt continuously reads in white letters: SAMO© FOR THE SO-CALLED AVANTE GARDE.

Box graphics
The lower right corner of the box bears Jean-Michel Basquiat's signature above which is his iconic motif, the crown. Just as Basquiat often wore a crown, Barbie wears one, too. According to Francesco Clemente, "A crown appears frequently in the early work of Jean-Michel Basquiat signaling his ambition and understanding of art history" (Heroes and Saints).

Side Panels

One side panel also bears the artist's signature and iconic crown drawing.

The signature can be seen slightly better in this photo taken with the flash.


Basquiat's artwork, "Pez Dispenser," which features a crown-wearing dinosaur appears on the opposite panel of the doll's box.
"Pez Dispenser is an artwork created in 1984 by the Manhattan-based artist Jean-Michel Basquiat." (Pez Dispenser). It is included on the opposite side panel of the doll's box.

Back of the Box

Jean-Michel Basquiat and his artwork
Jean-Michel Basquiat and his artwork are on the back of the box as illustrated above with a very brief bio of the artist at the bottom of the box.

Jean-Michel Basquiat's box bio reads as follows:
"During the 1980s, as the art movement known as neo-expression gained traction, a young street artist from Brooklyn, NY emerged. Barbie celebrates the influential work of Jean-Michel Basquiat. His frenetic paintings are an infusion of graphic poetry, cultural dichotomies, and compelling social statements. Basquiat played an essential role in elevating graffiti art from the underground to gaining well-deserved acclaim in the upper echelons of the art world.

"In a stunning tribute to the artist, Barbie wears a head-to-toe ensemble featuring many well-known masterpieces spanning throughout Basquiat's career. From the gleaming golden crown atop her head, to the bespoke suit emblazoned with artwork, Jean-Michel Basquiat X Barbie doll is a curated collaboration bridging two cultural icons."

I love her; I really do!
This articulated doll is part of the Gold label collection. No more than 20,000 Jean-Michel Basquiat X Barbie dolls will be produced worldwide. A certificate of authenticity and a doll stand are included with this three-dimensional masterpiece.

References:
"Heroes and Saints." http://basquiat.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/heroes-and-saints/
"Pez Dispenser." http://www.jean-michel-basquiat.org/pez-dispenser/

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Basquiat X Barbie Updated

Stock photo of Jean-Michel Basquiat Barbie

Jean-Michel Basquiat X Barbie is available at Barbie.Mattel.com with a limit of two dolls per order.  The doll is a tribute to the acclaimed artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, who started out as a street artist during the late 1970s in New York. His 1980s rise to fame was short-lived by his untimely death on August 12, 1988, at the young age of 27. Basquiat left behind a body of work that sells for multiple thousands of dollars today. Owning his Barbie tribute will be as close as I will come to owning some of his art.

The doll's specifics are copied from the order page below:

  • Designer: Carlyle Nuera
  • Release Date: 4/15/2020
  • Included with doll: Crown, jacket, shirt, tie, belt, pants, boots, doll stand
  • Eyelashes: Painted
  • Fashion: Wide-legged trousers, a jacket, shirt, tie and belt
  • Fashion Sewn On?: No
  • Body Type: Pivotal
  • Doll Stand: Yes
  • Facial sculpt: Nichelle
  • Package Dimensions (H/D/W): 13" x 2" x 8"
  • Limit 2 per person

SKU #: GHT53
Price: $50

Read more about the doll on the ordering page as well as in an article by Allen Voivod here wherein designer, Carlyle Nuera, describes his inspiration for the doll's creation.

Update 4/16/2020 This doll is on backorder at the Barbie.Mattel website, but is currently available at Macy.com with free shipping.  Due to the doll's popularity, quantities at Macy's might be exhausted soon. If you desire to purchase, purchase now!

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

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Check out what I am selling here
Check out my eBay listings here.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

First image of the Jean Michel Basquiat Barbie collector 2020 doll

Please follow the link:
First image of the Jean Michel Basquiat Barbie collector 2020 doll

Can someone explain to me why this doll is not male?  Is it inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a male artist who rose to fame during the 1980s or is it supposed to represent him?  Even though I love the doll, I'm scratching my head about the doll's gender.

Read more about Jean-Michel Basquiat, the artist, here.


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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________


Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.



Check out what I am selling here

Check out my eBay listings here.

Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.

Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!