A new documentary titled Jean-Michel, directed by Quinn Whitney Wilson and Viridiana Lieberman, offers a different perspective on the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat. While Basquiat is widely known as a celebrated artist, this film focuses on his personal life and family history. Set to release on Netflix in December, it was created with the cooperation of Basquiat’s heirs and marks the first time a film on the artist was made with the direct involvement of his family. The documentary features interviews with Basquiat’s younger sisters, Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, who were 24 and 21 years old, respectively, when their brother died in 1988. After his death, the sisters largely stayed out of the public eye, but they felt it was important to share their perspective and fill in the gaps in the story of their brother’s life. At the time of the film’s production, they were managing the estate of their late father, Gérard Basquiat, who had been responsible for it until his death in 2013. Quinn Whitney Wilson, who was initially surprised by the request to direct the film, met with the sisters on Zoom on December 22, 2021, which was Basquiat’s birthday. The sisters were also preparing an exhibition titled Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure in New York, launched in 2022. This exhibition marked the first time they revisited their brother’s memories, photos, and stories together, offering a rare look into their personal connection to him. The film includes archival images and family photos that reveal lesser-known aspects of Basquiat’s life. These include a young Basquiat in an elegant taupe robe, a member card from the Brooklyn Museum signed "Jean-Michel," and a photo of a baby Basquiat being rocked by his father. The documentary also features recollections from friends and loved ones, providing a more rounded view of the artist’s personality. For the sisters, creating the film was an emotionally difficult process. They wanted to share their family’s experience of losing Basquiat and highlight how his death affected them. They described the project as a way to revisit their lives and the changes that happened after their brother’s death. Basquiat grew up in a Brooklyn brownstone with his sisters, his Haitian father, Gérard, a businessman, and his mother, Matilde, an art lover of Puerto Rican descent. His parents separated when he was 8, which deeply affected him. His mother, who struggled with mental health issues, was a central figure in the family, and the sisters wanted to highlight her role in the film, countering rumors that they were hiding her. The documentary aims to show Basquiat as a person with a rich childhood and family life, rather than just a mythologized artist. The sisters hope viewers will see him as a brother, a son, and a wonderful human being, rather than just a legendary figure in the art world.