Main Platform

Jean-Michel Basquiat

At the centre of the brain is a structure called the Thalamus, it is often referred to as the "Main Station' or the "Grand Central Station" of the brain. This is because virtually all incoming information from both within and outside of the body goes through it to the cortex, and in turn virtually all areas of the cortex project through it. For Basquiat, a resident New Yorker, the concept of the brain as a grand train station ties together multiple influences on him: his mother had given him a copy of Grey's Anatomy and this, along with a fascination with the anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, was often a source of inspiration for his work. In Main Platform Basquiat acknowledges the concept of the brain as a station, and maps out his "platforms" he splits the brain laterally positioning the two halves almost as if they were two separate islands, a map which in many respects mirrors that of his home: the New York Subway map's division of Manhattan Island and Long Island.

Jean-Michel Basquiat Main Platform original signed graphite drawing with silver pencil and yellow crayon signed by the aritst
Artist
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)
Title
Main Platform
Medium
Graphite with silver pencil and yellow crayon on wove paper
Date
1986
Size
40 ½ x 28 ¼ in : 103.0 x 72.0 cm
Inscriptions
Signed lower right
Provenance
Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, acquired directly from the artist; purchased from Ropac Sept 18th 2000
Certification
A letter confirming the purchase of this drawing directly from the artist, signed by Thaddeus Ropac and dated Oct 28th 2015, accompanies this work
Reference
A18-09
Status
No Longer Available

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