How did Basquiat pronounce his name?
In French, the correct pronunciation of Jean-Michel Basquiat is Szohn Mee-shell Bah-skee-ah. In Basquiat, the “a” is pronounced as “ah”, followed by -squi, which is pronounced like the word “ski”. The final syllable, -at, is pronounced as “ah”.
Is Basquiat French?
1. Jean-Michel Basquiat was born on 22 December 1960, in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Gérard, was born in Port au Prince, Haiti, and his mother Matilde was a New York-native of Puerto Rican descent. In this multicultural home, the artist grew up speaking Spanish, French and English.
How do you pronounce Jean Michel?
Why does Basquiat have a French name?
Basquiat’s older brother was named Max but he passed away shortly before Jean Michel was born. After that, his parents decided to keep french origin names for the children. Haiti is a francophone country so it was expected that Basquiat’s first names would be linked to his father’s origins.