During the 1980's there were few remarkably famous artists. Three men that rose up and made a name for themselves are Jean-Michel Basquiat, well known Andy Warhol and Francesco Clemente. At a young age Basquiat started painting walls around Manhattan and signed them 'SAMO'. In 1978, Basquiat quit high school, one year away from graduating, and left home. He found an apartment with some friends and took to selling painted postcards and t-shirts on the streets of New York. He was soon discovered and became a successful artist befriending other successful artists of the time, such as Andy Warhol, along the way. Sadly, due to a heroin overdose, he died at the age of 27. As one of the founders of the Pop Art movement in the US in the 1950's, Andy Warhol was already famous. Due to a routine gallbladder surgery, Andy Warhol died in 1987 at the age of 58. Francesco Clemente, a self-taught Italian painter, rose to recognition in the early 80's. He is still alive and continues to paint today.
