Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

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Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

Released Jul 21, 2010

1h 33m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

86%

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36 Reviews

86%

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500+ Ratings

A thoughtful portrait of a renowned artist, this documentary shines the spotlight on New York City painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Featuring extensive interviews conducted by Basquiat's friend, filmmaker Tamra Davis, the production reveals how he dealt with being a black artist in a predominantly white field. The film also explores Basquiat's rise in the art world, which led to a close relationship with Andy Warhol, and looks at how the young painter coped with acclaim, scrutiny and fame.

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Tamra Davis's documentary does serve as a worthy companion to Julian Schnabel's 1996 biopic.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 8, 2010

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

A touching portrait that may not be the last word on the painter, but has facts and context to burn.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 16, 2010

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Sebastian Smee

Boston Globe

The intimate, home video footage -- which has never been shown -- feels poignant, a throwback to Basquiat's early days on the New York scene when he got by on his good looks, an elusive inner confidence, and the generosity of others.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 16, 2010

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David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

Using Basquiat's words and his art, labeled bebop-influenced neo-expressionism or sometimes gutter punk, Davis means to resurrect the relevance of a black artist pioneer...

Jun 10, 2020

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Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

This documentary is a wonderfully rich and evocative portrait of the artist as a young man...

Oct 4, 2019

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Laura Hiros

Rincón de cine

... [Director Tamra Davis] shows us an unknown facet of the artist, with a series of interviews and touching images that reveal the personality of a contemporary art hero... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 3/5

Mar 21, 2018

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Audience Member

Basquiat is a genius, and this film shows the human aspect of creating process.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/14/24

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Audience Member

gr8 bio-doc really liked this one alot.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Everything is illuminated!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Audience Member

Tamra Davis coloca Jean-Michel Basquiat no centro de um retrato eficaz, inspirador e surpreendentemente enternecedor. Estes méritos contribuem para que "The Radiant Child" seja quase um trampolim para um conhecimento mais aprofundado do trabalho de Basquiat. Com todo a arte incrível que abunda ao longo de quase uma hora e meia, era necessária uma realização péssima para arruinar este documentário.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

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Audience Member

Extensive old footage interspersed with contemporary interviews give the viewer a real feel for the time, the place and the artist.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

My favorite movie of all time. Very inspirational and informative. Correctly focused more on the art than on the person. This makes more sense, because the art is the deepest, most informative reflection of the person. This is a concept that may be complex, but if you pay attention closely while observing a painting it will tell you all that you need to know about Jean Michel Basquiat.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Tamra Davis

Director

Lilly Bright

Producer

Stanley F. Buchthal

Producer

David Koh

Producer

Alexis Spraic

Producer

J. Ralph

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Synopsis

A thoughtful portrait of a renowned artist, this documentary shines the spotlight on New York City painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Featuring extensive interviews conducted by Basquiat's friend, filmmaker Tamra Davis, the production reveals how he dealt with being a black artist in a predominantly white field. The film also explores Basquiat's rise in the art world, which led to a close relationship with Andy Warhol, and looks at how the young painter coped with acclaim, scrutiny and fame.

Director: Tamra Davis
Producer: Lilly Bright, Stanley F. Buchthal, David Koh, Alexis Spraic
Screenwriter: Eric Martin, Lois Vossen
Distributor: Arthouse Films
Production Co: Fortissimo Film Sales
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 21, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 13, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $256.2K
Runtime: 1h 33m

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