Jay-Z famously boasts about his art collection in his raps much to the dismay of some rappers *coughs* Drake. According to Page Six, Jigga Man lent one his prized Basquiat paintings to the Guggenheim museum for a police brutality exhibit.

Hov is reportedly lending Basquiat’s 1982 work “CPRKR” to the museum for its “Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: The Untold Story,” exhibit which opened to the public on Friday (June 21). But a rep for the Guggenheim claims the painting does not belong to Jay-Z and is reportedly on loan from another private collection.

The Guggenheim description of its new exhibit goes as follows:

“This presentation will examine Basquiat’s exploration of black identity, his protest against police brutality and his attempts to craft a singular, aesthetic language of empowerment.”

Per Page Six:

The rapper offered the 1982 work “CPRKR” to the Guggenheim for its show “Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: The Untold Story,” which opened Friday.

“Defacement” is the late artist’s painting about graffiti artist Michael Stewart, who died in 1983 after he was arrested for tagging a First Avenue subway station.

According to the museum, the exhibit includes “approximately 20 paintings and works on paper created in the years surrounding Stewart’s death.

“This presentation will examine Basquiat’s exploration of black identity, his protest against police brutality and his attempts to craft a singular, aesthetic language of empowerment.”

Basquiat painted “CPRKR” in 1982 as a tribute to the late Jazz great Charlie Parker.

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Photo: Bernard Smalls/@PhotosByBeanz

Source: HipHopWired.com

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