Matilda Andrades is the mother of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Matilda’s son Jean-Michel was a skilled and talented artist. He rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries and museums internationally. He was one of the youngest to exhibit at the Whitney Biennial in New York.
Matilda Andrades: Bio Summary
| Name | Matilda Andrades |
| Famous as | mother of Jean-Michel Basquiat |
| Date of birth | 28 July 1934 |
| Place of birth | Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | 17 November 2008 (aged 74) |
| Parents | Juan Andrades and Flora Andrades |
| Spouse | Gerard Basquiat |
| Children | Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeanine Basquiat, Max Basquiat, and Lisane Basquiat |
Who Was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Mother, Matilda Andrades?
Matilda Andrades was born on 28 July 1934, in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA to Puerto Rican parents. She was the daughter of Juan (Andrades Roman) Andrades and Flora (Benitez) Andrades. It is unknown if she has any siblings or not. She was an American of Puerto Rican descent. There is very little information about her upbringing and family background.
Matilda’s educational details are unknown. She was the wife of Gérard Basquiat (1930–2013), who was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She married Gérard and took his last name. She became known as Matilde Basquiat. She and Gérard had four children. Their children are Max Basquiat, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lisane Basquiat, and Jeanine Basquiat. Unfortunately, their son Max passed away at a young age.
Matilda Andrades took care of her children and home. She raised her children Catholic. She managed to provide a loving environment for her children. She had a love for art. She planted a love for art in her son Jean-Michel Basquiat from his childhood. She often took her son to local art museums and enrolled him as a junior member of the Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Matilda encouraged Jean-Michel’s artistic talent. At a young age, Jean-Michel often tried to draw his favorite cartoons. Jean-Michel was a quick learner who learned to read and write by age four. In the late 1960s, Matilda’s son Jean-Michel was in the streets playing when he got hit by a car and his arm was broken. He suffered several internal injuries, which required a splenectomy.
Jean-Michel was hospitalized and his beloved mother Matilda Andrades brought him a copy of Gray’s Anatomy to keep him occupied. Matilda was very supportive. She was always there for her children. For unknown reasons, she and her husband Gerard Basquiat decided to get separated but they never divorced. After their split, their children were raised by their father, Gerard. Gerard was a strict father.
ALSO, READ: Gerard Basquiat: Is Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Father Still Alive?
Matilda Andrades suffered from a mental illness. She ended up in a psychiatric hospital and spent her life in and out of institutions. Her condition affected her children. Her son Jean-Michel Basquiat who was very close to her struggled to deal with his mother’s instability. He became a rebellious teenager. He ran away from home as a teenager after he was caught by his father smoking cannabis.
Jean-Michel Basquiat once slept in Washington Square Park for a week. He was later returned home. He was kicked out of home by his father at the time he decided to drop out of school. Eventually, Jean-Michel was spraying buildings with the SAMO tag, derived from the phrase “same old shit”. He rose to fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO. By the early 1980s, Jean-Michel’s paintings were exhibited in galleries and museums internationally.
“The way that his words and artwork resonate with people. Resonates with the experiences we are having today. I can’t say I thought ‘my brother is going to be an artist’ but I knew and recognized his artistic talent,” Jean-Michel Basquiat’s sister Lisane Basquiat told ABC7 of her brother. His sister Janine Basquiat also said: “He was so ahead of his time. Genius almost. He was not only able to put on canvas, his paintings but also his thoughts.”
What Happened To Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Mother?
Matilda Andrades died on 17 November 2008, at age 74, in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA. She was laid to rest at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA. Her son Jean-Michel Basquiat died on August 12, 1988, at age 27, in New York City, U.S. He had drug problems and attempted sobriety but he died of a heroin overdose.
Jean-Michel Basquiat was found unresponsive in his bedroom and was pronounced dead after he was taken to Cabrini Medical Center. He was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA. A private funeral was held at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on August 17, 1988, and a public memorial was held at Saint Peter’s Church on November 3, 1988.
Lisane Basquiat shared, “Our mother (Matilde) lost her son, and it was unimaginably painful for her. So much so that, in the beginning she helped herself through the pain by imagining that Jean-Michel was simply away traveling. She never fully got over his death. What mother would? Years later, she started a journal that she wanted everyone in the family to contribute to.”
“It was very important to her that we all remembered Jean-Michel and that our memories of him didn’t get lost in the world’s vision of him as an artist. This [King Pleasure©] exhibition and book are a way of fulfilling and honoring her desire to keep our memories of him grounded in who he was to us.” Matilda Andrades’ ex-husband Gerard Basquiat died on 7 July 2013, in Kings County, New York, USA.
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