Jean-Michel Basquiat 1980s art icon and native New Yorker Jean-Michel Basquiat established himself as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His range of influences spanned from Greek, Roman, and African art to jazz, pop culture and his fellow contemporaries. Before he rose to art stardom, however, his work was already legendary on the streets of downtown NYC. Under the tag SAMO©, Basquiat's fragmented poetry and poignant symbols established a visual vocabulary that continues to inspire a new generation of graffiti artists today, influencing both the mainstream and the