This triptych is formed by three skate decks made of 7 ply grade A Canadian maple.
© Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York
La Hara (1981) is one of the most powerful and socially charged works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, created during an early yet intense stage of his career. The title refers to a colloquial expression used in Latinx and African American neighborhoods of New York to refer to the police. It’s believed to derive from a distortion of “the law” or from the Irish surname “O’Hara,” common among police officers. Beyond its origin, though, the word carries a strong tone of rejection and mistrust.
Basquiat, the son of a Haitian father and a Puerto Rican mother, grew up in a city deeply marked by police violence, institutional racism, and the marginalization of Black and Latinx communities. La Hara channels that conflict through a fierce critique of police authority, especially the kind that falls disproportionately on racialized bodies.
In the painting, Basquiat depicts a white police officer with a stiff expression, a fixed gaze, and a lifeless body. The figure feels grotesque—more like a threatening ghost than a real person. The vibrant red background and aggressive brushstrokes intensify the sense of danger. As in many of his works, words appear throughout—in this case, “LA HARA” is written repeatedly, as if he were shouting it from the canvas.
In this context, the officer is not just a character; he becomes a symbol of oppressive power over marginalized communities. Basquiat isn’t merely criticizing—he’s putting a lived conflict on display, one he experienced firsthand, and he does it with anger, irony, and clarity.
The police figure, traditionally seen as a symbol of authority and order, is here dehumanized—almost like a hollow puppet. It’s Basquiat’s way of challenging power structures and giving visibility to voices often erased. Though the style may seem raw and spontaneous, the message is deliberate and powerful: it speaks of history, injustice, identity, and resistance.
La Hara is a perfect example of how Basquiat used art as a tool for protest. With explosive visual force, he turned the personal into the political and forced the viewer to confront a reality many prefer to ignore.
