It was a meeting between two of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century.  

Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat were formally introduced at Warhol’s factory studio in Manhattan during the fall of 1982 by gallerist Bruno Bishofberger.

Hours later, Basquiat’s assistant would deliver a double portrait of the artists to Warhol, painted by Basquiat almost immediately after their meeting.

“Warhol was so impressed. He said, 'Oh my God, Bruno. He’s so much faster than me,' and that was kind of the start of this friendship,” said Dr. Dieter Buchhart, co-curator of the new exhibition featuring the collaboration between the two art giants.

That partnership would begin in 1983, leading to more than 160 works of art. Almost 40 of them are on display at the Brant Foundation in the East Village in an exhibition called "Basquiat x Warhol."

Buchhart co-curated the exhibition with foundation founder Peter Brant and Dr. Anna Karina Hofbauer.

“It’s like two worlds colliding on the one hand side, but with so much respect and so much friendship for each other, that they created a visual language by drawing, so it is like different artists but the artists are still there, so it’s fascinating,” Buchhart said.

It’s the first time these works have been on exhibit together in New York since 1997. Most of the works are borrowed from private collections, with some from museums.

Buchhart said considering the works were created not far from the Brant Foundation space on East Sixth Street, a former Con-Ed substation, it’s an honor to bring them home for New Yorkers to enjoy.

As for how the collaboration worked?

“It was like a physical fight between these two languages, so it’s a very fascinating project. So it’s both, it’s the respect and your own expression,” Buchhart said.

The results of that mutual admiration and individual expression will be on display at the Brant Foundation through Jan. 7.