Curatorial & Historical Authority
Al Díaz is the co-founder of SAMO© and Basquiat’s collaborator during the pivotal East Village period (c. 1979–1981). For the Neptune Collection, he provides primary historical witness verification, official curator at major fair presentations, and the exhibition catalog’s definitive curatorial statement.
Roles in the Archive
- Physical audit: Witness verification of materiality and stylistic markers; photographic documentation of vetting the Neptune wood panel in a museum-grade environment (Crozier Fine Art, NYC).
- Curator: Art Basel Miami 2016 (X-Contemporary), Art Basel Switzerland 2018 (Satellite), and related Brooklyn presentations.
- Historical statement: Testimony confirming the collection’s origin within the artist’s inner circle and the untold chapter linking Lonnie “Neptune” Lichtenberg and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
From the Curator’s Note
“I agreed to curate this collection primarily because I was an active participant in both Lonnie Lichtenberg and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s lives. I believe deeply that this untold chapter of the Basquiat narrative deserves telling.”
Jean bestowed affectionate nicknames on Lonnie—‘Neptune,’ ‘King of the C,’ and ‘Superhero’—and bartered drawings and paintings as currency in the East Village circle Diaz knew firsthand.
Al Díaz — March 2017, NYC. Full curatorial note appears in the exhibition catalog.