In his art Basquiat delicately balanced spontaneity and control. Slashes and shapes collided with violent colours suggesting constant flux. His personal style was much the same - an amalgam of influences resisting easy definition.

"Critics praised his work for its composition, color and balance between spontaneity and control. While still in his early 20's, his work was shown at leading SoHo galleries, including the Annina Nosei Gallery and the Mary Boone Gallery, and his work was exhibited in galleries from SoHo to Paris, Tokyo and Dusseldorf."

- New York Times, 1988

On Technique

"Basquiat’s brand of action painting is not of the type where the movements of the artist’s hand, guided by the impulse of the moment, tend to erase or soften the parts already there. His power lies in bringing a variety of elements into dynamic contact, in leaving be what comes up, in allowing an energetic coexistence."

- Artforum, 1987