Jean-Michel Basquiat is getting his moment at one of the South’s most respected art institutions. The High Museum of Art in Atlanta will debut a sweeping new exhibition in 2027 dedicated to the legendary artist, with a particular focus on a body of work that’s rarely seen together in public.
“Basquiat, the Blue Ribbon Paintings, and the Art of Reproduction” opens February 19 and runs through May 16, 2027. Organized by Princeton University Art Museum, the show centers on Jean-Michel Basquiat‘s 1984 “Blue Ribbon” series—11 paintings that haven’t been publicly shown together in over three decades. More than 50 works total will be on view, spanning his largely underexplored printmaking practice alongside an illustrated hardcover catalog published by Princeton.
Michael Rooks, the High Museum’s Wieland Family senior curator of modern and contemporary art, spoke about what sets this collection apart. “This exhibition invites us to deepen an appreciation of one of the most venerated artists of the last 50 years. The ‘Blue Ribbon’ paintings seem more solemn than the dynamic, colorful paintings we know best from Basquiat’s work, perhaps because of their limited color palette.”
Rooks added: “Each painting is presided over by a printed image of his crowned avatar of marginalized Black heroes, who guides us through the complex structure of the artworks. This exhibition will change the way you think about Basquiat and his role in reshaping the contemporary art scene of the 1980s.”
There’s more Basquiat content coming down the pipeline. A Netflix documentary helmed by directors Quinn Whitney Wilson and Viridiana Lieberman launches later this year, following its debut at Tribeca Festival in June 2026. It’s the first documentary approved by the artist’s estate—a distinction that carries real weight in how his story gets told.
Wilson and Lieberman said in a statement: “Jean-Michel Basquiat’s legacy is undeniable. We see his art everywhere, from the most historical museums to the clothing moving through the streets. Yet the myth and the man are not one and the same, and across the decades, ‘Basquiat’ has become a moniker that doesn’t capture the entire person. His origins have hardened into an ever-growing mythology, and it’s long overdue to meet him in all the multifaceted and powerful ways he moved through this world.”
Mark your calendar for both. The Atlanta exhibition opens in February 2027, and the Netflix doc will give you another angle on an artist whose influence still shapes contemporary culture today.
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