Jean-Michel Basquiat was a young graffiti artist known in the 1970's and 1980's New York steet scene for his punk-inspired, collage imagery. Beginning his career by spray painting local Manhattan buildings, Basquiat became a prominent figure in art culture and immediately received nation-wide acclaim as a neo-expressionist artist. During his short life, he produced controversial paintings and prints that acknowledged topics of heritage and society, and was known for his use of scribbled pseudonyms.