To Repel Ghosts - Jean-Michel Basquiat
Archival giclée
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Description
A striking 1986 work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, featuring bold white text on a dark, multi-slatted wooden surface.
Jean-Michel Basquiat created To Repel Ghosts in 1986, a work that demonstrates his characteristic approach to combining text and raw, gestural mark-making. The piece is constructed on wood, incorporating the physical structure of the support into the final composition. The surface is dominated by deep, dark bands of black paint, which provide a stark background for the central text. The phrase 'TO REPEL GHOSTS' is rendered in a bold, hand-painted white typeface, positioned centrally to command attention. A small 'TM' symbol sits to the right of the text, introducing a layer of commercial irony often found in Basquiat's work.
Above the text, a patch of white paint reveals a glimpse of blue, suggesting a sky or an atmospheric element that contrasts with the heavy, industrial feel of the black slats. The composition is deliberately sparse, moving away from the dense, chaotic layering seen in many of his earlier canvases. Instead, this work relies on the tension between the literal meaning of the words and the physical presence of the wooden slats. The artist often used text as a visual device, treating letters as shapes and symbols rather than purely linguistic tools. By framing the work within the wooden structure, Basquiat invites the viewer to consider the object as both a painting and a sculptural entity. The work reflects his interest in the intersection of high art, street culture, and the commodification of identity. It remains a direct example of his ability to distil complex cultural anxieties into a singular, graphic statement.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
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- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
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Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
To Repel Ghosts - Jean-Michel Basquiat
Artist Biography
Jean Michel Basquiat
He had no formal art training. He dropped out of school at seventeen and slept on park benches and friends' floors. He sold hand-painted postcards and t-shirts. He gate-crashed a restaurant where the critic Henry Geldzahler was eating with Andy Warhol and handed them a postcard. Warhol bought one. The art world opened.
By twenty-one he was showing in galleries. By twenty-two he was the youngest artist ever invited to Documenta in Kassel. The paintings are dense, layered, furious: text fragments, anatomical drawings, crown symbols, crossed-out words, references to Black history, jazz, boxing, anatomy textbooks, and street signage. They look unplanned but they are not. The crossed-out words are deliberate. He wanted you to read them, then register the erasure.
He and Warhol collaborated on a series of paintings in 1984 and 1985. The relationship was complicated by the art market's tendency to treat Basquiat as Warhol's protege rather than his peer, and by the fact that Warhol, older and more established, got better reviews for the joint work. Basquiat pulled away.
He died of a heroin overdose in 1988, at twenty-seven. His paintings now sell for over 100 million dollars. He would have found that both satisfying and absurd.
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