When New York City’s underground art scene was thriving in the 1980s, Madonna, only 19 years old, was part of it and she dated several graffiti writers. In addition to being romantically linked to FUTURA and maybe COST, the singer also dated Jean-Michel Basquiat. Apparently things didn’t go too well, in part because he was doing too much dope all the time. In an interview with Howard Stern, she confessed to having a terrible breakup with the painter.
“He wouldn’t stop doing heroin. He was an amazing man and deeply talented. I loved him,” said Madonna. “When I broke up with him he made me give [the paintings he gave me] back to him. And then he painted over them black.”
Despite his obvious drug problems, she was impressed by his odd work ethics.”I remember getting up in the middle of the night and he wouldn’t be in bed lying next to me; he’d be standing, painting, at four in the morning, this close to the canvas, in a trance,” she said to Interview. “I was blown away by that, that he worked when he felt moved.”
As for the current crop of street artists, Madonna counts Banksy and JR among her favorites. “Their art is on the street, available for anyone to see, it’s not elitist,” she told Interview.
(Photo: imgkid)
