MAC Cosmetics has joined forces with Jean-Michel Basquiat’s family and estate for its latest limited-edition collaboration, inspired by the late artist’s creative signatures.
Debuting direct-to-consumer and in select MAC stores on Thursday, the six-piece collection ranges in price from $29 for loose powder pigments in three shimmering gold, taupe and white shades to $120 for a four-piece set of Basquiat Artist Brushes, which come in different shapes and sizes and are inspired by the paintbrushes Basquiat used for his own artwork.
“Basquiat took ordinary things and put his spin on them, and that’s very similar to what we do here at MAC,” said MAC Cosmetics global creative director, Nicola Formichetti. “This [collection] was almost like writing a love letter to him and his work.”
The — literal — crown jewel of the collection is MAC’s Macximal Silky Matte Basquiat Lipstick, which adds a crown, one of Basquiat’s more prominent motifs, to the lid of MAC’s signature lipstick bullet. The product comes in the shades of Ruby Woo-ster and Bowery Brown, paying tribute to Basquiat’s New York heritage.
“Ruby Woo-ster is kind of a more vivd version of Ruby Woo, inspired by Basquiat’s [use] of bright colors, and Bowery Brown is a little bit of a dirty Teddy,” Formichetti said.
The collection arrives before Netflix premieres its “Jean-Michel Basquiat” documentary later this year. An official air date has not yet been announced, but the film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in June and chronicles Basquiat’s upbringing and rise as a neo-expressionist street artist and painter in the 1980s.
Gold tones and vivid blues, which were often incorporated in Basquiat’s works, are apparent throughout the collection, which also includes a multipurpose Eye + Face Chalk and an Oil Effect Eye Paint, both $30, and a pro-inspired Famous Bag meant to carry the products, which retails for $50.
The launch follows MAC’s unveiling of its 2026 Viva Glam campaign featuring Chappell Roan, the brand’s latest ambassador, in June, as well as an inaugural launch into Sephora this spring, 41 years after the brand’s debut.
“Collaborations are in [MAC’s] DNA,” Formichetti said. “We’ve kind of dedicated this collection to pro artists; you can create incredible art with it, but it’s fun, too, and everyone can try it.”
