Back to the Big Screen: Basquiat (1997)
When: Friday, January 16th, 2025, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Where: Garland Theater
Who: Rated “R”, permission click signature required by a parent of any student under 17
Brought to you by the Visual Arts Department in conjunction with the 2025-26 Visiting Artist Program
Join the Visual Arts Department at Back to the Big Screen with a presentation of the 1997 film Basquiat
In the midst of the New York 1980s artworld, a young graffiti-artist-poet, Jean-Michel Basquiat, experienced a meteoric rise to fame through a bombastic output of paintings that challenged established artistic conventions and proposed a new path of expression. From the directorial debut of painter and friend Julian Schabel with a star-studded cast including, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani, Parker Posey, and newcomer Jeffery Wright, experience the unbridled creativity of a tragic hero in this 1997 visual biography.
Screened in conjunction and following the 2025-26 Visiting Artist Program opening reception of the exhibition Horizon Lines, a two-person exhibition with Poly alums Calaya Amparo (‘17) and Randy Heartfield (‘18), Basquiat celebrates raw artistic self-expression and the detriment of a system that takes advantage of such radiance.
Note: This film is rated R for drug use and strong language, featuring themes of racism, addiction (especially cocaine), sexuality (implied), violence (a beating), and profanity.
Back to the Big Screen, a monthly screening series, provides the opportunity for the greater Poly community to experience a selection of cinematic titles in a big screen format in our very own Garland Theater over the course of the academic year. This chance to revisit titles that we may have never seen on the big screen will encompass the screening of a select film of relevance followed by moderated discussion among those in attendance at each evening event.
Back
Where: Garland Theater
Who: Rated “R”, permission click signature required by a parent of any student under 17
Brought to you by the Visual Arts Department in conjunction with the 2025-26 Visiting Artist Program
Join the Visual Arts Department at Back to the Big Screen with a presentation of the 1997 film Basquiat
In the midst of the New York 1980s artworld, a young graffiti-artist-poet, Jean-Michel Basquiat, experienced a meteoric rise to fame through a bombastic output of paintings that challenged established artistic conventions and proposed a new path of expression. From the directorial debut of painter and friend Julian Schabel with a star-studded cast including, David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, Gary Oldman, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani, Parker Posey, and newcomer Jeffery Wright, experience the unbridled creativity of a tragic hero in this 1997 visual biography.
Screened in conjunction and following the 2025-26 Visiting Artist Program opening reception of the exhibition Horizon Lines, a two-person exhibition with Poly alums Calaya Amparo (‘17) and Randy Heartfield (‘18), Basquiat celebrates raw artistic self-expression and the detriment of a system that takes advantage of such radiance.
Note: This film is rated R for drug use and strong language, featuring themes of racism, addiction (especially cocaine), sexuality (implied), violence (a beating), and profanity.
Back to the Big Screen, a monthly screening series, provides the opportunity for the greater Poly community to experience a selection of cinematic titles in a big screen format in our very own Garland Theater over the course of the academic year. This chance to revisit titles that we may have never seen on the big screen will encompass the screening of a select film of relevance followed by moderated discussion among those in attendance at each evening event.
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