Adrien Sauvage’s most recent black-and-white portrait series, featuring Nick Taylor and Michael Holman, invokes the spirit of Jean-Michel Basquiat through those who knew him and collaborated with him. Inspired by Basquiat’s journey from the outskirts of society to the heart of the New York art scene, Basquiat’s life becomes a metaphor for aspiration and achievement. Through Sauvage’s lens parallels are drawn between basquiat’s ‘heroic figures’ and Sauvage’s own muses, captains and natives, exploring themes of identity and influence. As in previous projects, Sauvage experiments with the confines of conventional tailoring, setting the scene for the designer's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection while chasing Basquiat’s shadow through the streets of NYC. Both shot and styled by Sauvage, 'Gray' is irreverent and playful with references to 1980s pop culture and the avant-garde, offering a nuanced picture of Basquiat’s artistic legacy.

On Gray

“I travelled to New York this summer chasing Basquiat's footsteps and unravelled a story of his early life and times, shooting portraits of Michael Holman and Nick Taylor his close friends and former band members from the developing New York 80's downtown art scene.

“Within the portraits, I wanted to depict Michael and Nick personality through the Black and White or the Good and the Bad highlighting Michael Angelic qualities and Nick's off the cuff attitude. The two together are a creative handful and were a pleasure to sit down and grasp their rare sensitivity.”

On Basquiat 

“Artists such as Basquiat were not given the recognition they deserved during their life time, I wanted to re-imagine Basquiat in 2013 with all the success of a modern artist.

“If Basquiat were to walk into A. Sauvage he would make it rain inside!”