Considered one of the greatest painters of the 20th century, Jean-Michel Basquiat was the first black artist to cross the threshold of art galleries, with his subversive art. In this article, I look at his work from the perspective of the journey. An analysis of his works reveals, through his aesthetic of scribbling, erasure and defacement, his perpetual journey back to childhood. His response to a complex, contradictory parentage is also reflected in his search for his roots during a trip to Abidjan, which he saw as a return home. His tireless quest for the artificial paradises provided by hard drugs would propel him towards his final journey, his death from an overdose on 12 August 1988. Basquiat’s multiple journeys - artistic, cultural, familial - testify to a break with the norms of his time. His wandering, his nomadism, contributed to a formidable movement that ensured the vivacity and exceptional dazzle of his art.