'Basquiat – Headstrong' at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

To celebrate their upcoming exhibition, 'Basquait - Headstrong,' Louisiana Museum of Modern Art has released 6 posters of his work. The exhibition is the first major solo presentation of works on paper by Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988). It is set to be the first comprehensive showing devoted to the artist's depictions of the human head, including many works that the artist chose to keep to himself during his lifetime.

Shop the Collection

In January 2026, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark will open Basquiat–Headstrong, a major solo exhibition dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s depictions of the human head. This marks the first institutional survey to focus exclusively on this foundational, yet critically under-examined, subject within the artist’s oeuvre.

The show centers on a body of work produced between 1981 and 1983—a period widely regarded as one of Basquiat’s most prolific and experimental. During these years, the human head became a recurring motif, rendered in ways that evoke both anatomical study and symbolic abstraction. Many of the heads resemble masks, with flattened features and bold outlines that draw on the visual language of African art, ritual, and identity. The works suggest a tension between surface and psyche—what is seen and what is buried beneath.

Unlike traditional portraiture, Basquiat approached the head as a site of complexity and duality: a threshold between the visible self and the internal experience. His treatment of the head form reveals as much about cognition, memory, and emotion as it does about anatomy. This thematic lens offers a deeper reading of Basquiat’s practice, especially his exploration of power, race, and visibility.

The exhibition provides a long-overdue institutional reassessment of Basquiat’s works on paper, a medium that dominated his output. His drawings—often executed in vivid oil stick—stand out for their scale, materiality, and immediacy. They reflect the same visual intensity and formal command found in his paintings and early street-based interventions, defying conventional expectations of what drawing can be.

Headstrong will bring together a significant number of rarely seen works, with loans secured from major private and public collections worldwide. Several key companion pieces will also be on view, offering critical context and underscoring the breadth and consistency of Basquiat’s engagement with this subject.

About Louisiana | Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, established in 1958 by Knud W. Jensen, has housed exhibitions with some of the most renowned international artists, presenting an exhibition program that has resonated strongly with the public for over 6 decades. The museum has earned a reputation as one of the world's most respected exhibition venues, celebrated for its stunning architecture and inviting atmosphere. At Louisiana, there is a deep-rooted belief that art should be accessible to all, offering experiences and visions that resonated with everyone. 

Forsyth is proud to represent a curated edit of Louisiana's renowned collection of exhibition posters and prints. Shop the Collection