The digital life of Basquiat: thesis investigates how the artist remains prominent decades after his death

How can an artist who died over two decades ago launch unreleased works? This apparent contradiction motivated the doctoral research of Hélio Ricardo Rainho, former student of the academic doctoral program in History, Politics and Cultural Assets at the School of Social Sciences of FGV (FGV CPDOC). His thesis, titled “Jean-Michel Basquiat to Cyber Basquiat: artist machine and narrative in the ontocartography of a surviving image,” investigates how the legacy of the American artist endures and reinvents itself in contemporary times. 

The starting point for the investigation was an exhibition inaugurated in 2022, organized by Basquiat's sisters, who hold his estate. “Considering that unreleased status is something that can only be attributed to a living artist, how do we have an exhibition of an artist who died two decades ago featuring new works?” questions Hélio. The exhibition promised to display at least 200 new works by the artist, who passed away in 1988.  

For the researcher, this phenomenon raises fundamental questions about the nature of authorship and artistic presence in the digital age. “So, is Jean-Michel Basquiat alive? How does the survival of the artist manifest through the circulation of his own work?” he asks.  
 

Ontological mapping and surviving image 

The research relies on the theory of surviving image, a concept studied in iconology that Rainho unfolds as an ontological mapping of Basquiat's existence. “The idea of bringing him into this research was precisely due to the unreleased character required in theses, and also the potential that Jean-Michel Basquiat's discourses have concerning discussions that are very much in vogue today,” explains the researcher. 

Basquiat's presence transcends galleries and museums. His influence permeates fashion collections, commercial catalogs, and the work of contemporary artists. “Are all of us facing a digital existence of this character that multiplies in fashion collections, inspiring catalogs, inspiring artists who are here today and who no longer have his presence?” questions the researcher. 

The thesis seeks to understand how these cultural agents persist through their works and discourses, functioning as living narratives. By understanding who Basquiat was in the past and how he presents himself in the present, the research also projects a future perspective on this analysis.  
 

Cyber Basquiat: philosophical projection of the future 

One of the most innovative aspects of the thesis is the creation of the concept of “Cyber Basquiat,” grounded in the philosophical fiction of Vilém Flusser. “In this ontological mapping, we create a character called Cyber Basquiat. So within the philosophical fiction of an author named Vilém Flusser, we create something that can idealize who Basquiat would be in the future,” details the researcher. 

This approach allows for reflection on how iconic artists not only influence future generations but become cultural entities that transcend their physical existence, becoming narrative machines that continue to produce meanings, debates, and inspiration. 

Hélio’s research contributes to contemporary debates about authorship, artistic legitimacy, and the permanence of cultural legacies in the digital age, increasingly relevant fields of inquiry in both academic settings and the international art market. 

Learn more about the academic doctoral program in History, Politics, and Cultural Assets at FGV CPDOC here.