The huge mural can only really be understood and appreciated by those fortunate enough to see it in person. It resides within a private collection and so, sadly, most people will never get the opportunity. It is the level of detail across a wide expanse of canvas that makes it near impossible to convey the beauty of this piece online through standard digital imagery. A better option might be to include details of it, just as you might with a sprawling Renaissance fresco, allowing individual sections to be treated as separate artworks in their own right. Pegasus is almost a merge of other artworks together, and we find a whole series of small cartoon objects, accompanied by endless scrawled words, all of which have a connection with each other which takes some time to uncover.
The galleries of the world hold a lot of power in terms of which artists gain exposure, and so for some it can be much harder to get a foothold into the industry. Basquiat was not from the type of background that might have offered him a leg-up, and so had to achieve success through hard work and sheer talent. Eventually he would succeed and the impact of his unusual oeuvre has then allowed others to make a breakthrough in the generations that followed. You will find greater diversity today within most major art galleries and museums of the progressive nations of the world, and this evolution is likely to continue for many years to come. Without the impact of artists like Basquiat, the progress would probably still have happened, but not as quickly as this.
Basquiat left behind an impressive oeuvre which today can command some extraordinary valuations in public auctions. The likes of Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump, Flexible and Boxer Rebellion display an artist expressing himself to the full, commenting on life in America as he saw it. His angle of perspective was different to most other artists, making his voice unique and the symbols which he re-used across artworks created a signature style that can be studied in greater depth. His work is as relevant now as it ever has been, due to changing elements in society and he can even claim to have helped bring about some of those developments through his own legacy which was all about telling some uncomfortable truths within his compositions. He remains regarded as one of the most important American artists in history.
