Basquiat's Blue Ribbon paintings reunite at Princeton

Eleven paintings made in the same year are hanging together again.

The Princeton University Art Museum in Princeton, New Jersey, has reunited Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1984 Blue Ribbon paintings, ARTnews reported on October 7, 2026. The eleven works form a series from 1984.

Each work combines acrylic paint, oil stick and screenprint, according to the museum's August 24, 2026 announcement. Oil stick is pigment mixed with oil and wax that can be drawn directly onto a surface. Screenprint is a method in which ink is pushed through a stencilled mesh. Acrylic is a fast-drying, water-based paint. The combination puts painting and printed imagery on the same canvas.

The museum says the series blurs the boundaries between painting and printmaking. That description comes from its announcement of the exhibition 'Basquiat, the Blue Ribbon Paintings, and the Art of Reproduction.' The Princeton University Art Museum announced the show on August 24, 2026 and organised it under that title.

The checklist extends beyond the eleven. The exhibition comprises more than sixty works. It assembles nearly all of Basquiat's known print projects. The Blue Ribbon paintings sit at the centre of that larger group.

The run is set for autumn and winter. The exhibition runs from October 4, 2026 to January 31, 2027. It opened to the public on October 4 after a curator talk.

That talk was listed as 'Curator Jordana Moore Saggese on Basquiat.' It took place on October 3, 2026 at the Princeton University Art Museum. The museum published details of the event ahead of the opening.

Visiting takes little planning. Admission to the museum's exhibitions is always free. The museum offers one-hour guided Special Exhibitions Tours of the Basquiat exhibition on October 17 and October 24, 2026. Both tours run from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Details for the October 17 and October 24 tours are posted on the museum's events pages. Each entry describes a one-hour tour focused on the Basquiat exhibition and its approach to reproduction.

What makes this stand out for a general audience is the simplicity of the offer. No ticket barrier. No background reading needed. Eleven related works in one place, with the printed layers and painted marks side by side for close looking.