British footwear brand Dr Martens is paying homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat with a collection of adults’ and children’s shoes inspired by some of the American artist’s most iconic works. Priced at less than 200 euros (S$315), the shoes will be available starting on July 10 from selected outlets and online from Drmartens.com.
At the end of June 2020, a Jean-Michel Basquiat work on paper entitled “Untitled (Head)” sold for U$15.2 million at an online auction organised by Sotheby’s. Of course, most people simply do not have the means to purchase a work by the Brooklyn-born painter, not even if they take on endless decades of debt.
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However, fans of the artist can now take heart in the fact that even though they can never afford an artwork, they can at least buy the boots. And not just any boots but boots by Dr Martens. The cult brand is now preparing to launch a collection in collaboration with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, which turns a spotlight on some of his most famous works.
Two of the British manufacturer’s models, Dr. Martens 1460 boots and its 3-eye 1461 shoes, will now serve as canvases to allow fans to show their fondness for the painter who died from a heroin overdose at the age of 27 in 1988. In all, the collection will include three pieces marked by the use of Neo-Expressionist colours and an underground tone much-loved by Basquiat and by Dr Martens.
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So which of the Jean-Michel Basquiat works will you choose? In the collection, adult-sized Original 1460s are decorated with the graffiti-inspired “Beat Bop”, while junior 1460s offer a rendering of the “Pez Dispenser” dinosaur. Last but not least, the collection’s 1461’s feature the highly colourful “Dustheads”.
The three pairs of shoes along with a Basquiat rucksack will be available from July 10 at prices which start from 90 euros for the children’s items, and 169 euros for the adult-sized footwear.
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