The complex arrangement of panels is collectively known as Piscine versus The Best Hotels. Each element of this display is in different tones of colour, meaning each one could actually be treated as a separate entity in its own right. A sinister black figure lurks on the right hand side, with the term Salt written twice below it. The word Loin is that used on the left hand side, below a figurative portrait which seems to feature several different people merged together. The crown is there, as one would expect to see, and flurries of paint are then wildly applied across the rest of this panel. Across the top is the repetition of a number of words which help to reveal more about the content and messaging of the overall piece.
Few American artists have had as big an impact as Basquiat, and it was he who convinced us that graffiti art could be taken seriously for the first time. The idea of it being included within formal galleries seemed unbeliveable, until it happened. The knock-on effect of this has been other modern art styles also being taken seriously by collectors, allowing those on the fringes of society to gain acceptance for their work in ways not really seen before. We can toay appreciate more styles than ever before, with pretty much anything and everything encouraged, if it is deemed to be of a high enough standard. There is no such thing as bad art or none art, everything can be given a chance to succeed and will sink or swim purely on its own merits as an art form, rather than whether it follows a particular narrative that is currently in vogue. Basquiat would have entirely approved of this new environment for young artists.
Today we can all appreciate the quality of paintings such as Dos Cabezas, Fishing and Obnoxious Liberals but it would take Basquiat many years to truly become a respected part of the art mainstream. His work was from the streets, literally, and some more conservatively-minded people were not ready for it during his own lifetime. Thankfully, his abilities shone through in the eyes of others who would passionately stand by this artist and help him to grow his reputation over time. Eventually he would rise to the iconic status that he enjoys today, but that was probably not something he ever imagined achieving. He was keen to bring new ideas and messages into the art world, and his success in that regard was perhaps the most important and strongest legacy to have come from his highly unique and groundbreaking oeuvre, whose valuations now have risen into the many millions of dollars.
