1)   Jean-Michel Basquiat is truly an unfortunate artist. While his work was far superior to that of Andy Warhol, he was forever stuck in the shadow of the pop-art icon, and due to his unnaturally short life span was never given a chance to outlive this stigma. His work is very provocative yet primitive in many ways as well. Focusing on “suggestive dichotomies,” Basquiat’s work revolved around a singular hero, oftentimes the artist himself, fighting against social injustice.  While alive, his work was in demand, which was unheard of for an African American artist at the time. Born in 1960, his role as an African American in a post-civil rights movement America, was to be an icon for artists, both black and white alike, to be a symbol that unified the races with his thought-provoking work. Sadly, he was never able to fulfill his potential because of his untimely death at the age of 27 in 1988.