On August 12, 1988, Jean-Michel Basquiat—the visionary painter whose explosive talent redefined the possibilities of contemporary art—died of a heroin overdose in his New York City studio at the age of 27. Basquiat’s meteoric rise from a graffiti tagger in the Lower East Side to a global art-world phenomenon was nothing short of revolutionary. Widely hailed as the greatest contemporary artist of his generation, Basquiat's canvases pulsed with urgency, intellect, and emotion—breaking down barriers of race, class, and tradition in the art establishment. His untimely death cemented his legend, leaving behind a body of work that continues to challenge, inspire, and command reverence, a lasting reminder of genius gone far too soon.