Basquait’s friends criticise Jay-Z and Beyonce for commercialising his work in Tiffany Ad

JAY-Z AND HIS WIFE BEYONCE received a lot of praise when they were pictured in front of a painting from Jean-Michel Basquiat in their recent Tiffany advert.

But not everyone’s happy about their inclusion of the black painter’s 1982 Equals Pi masterpiece in their Tiffany promo run, The Guardian report.

The loudest noise is coming from those closest to Basquait, who are adamant that he wouldn’t have wanted his work to be associated with a brand that wanted nothing to do with him while he was alive.

Basquait’s studio assistant said: “They wouldn’t have let Jean-Michel into a Tiffany’s if he wanted to use the bathroom or if he went to buy an engagement ring and pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket.”

And of top of that, the American artist ‘didn’t want his art to be commercialised’, another one of his friends, Alexis Adler claimed.

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Adler’s views were echoed by Al Diaz, who collaborated with the Brooklyn genius and claimed Basquait weren’t interested in materialism or the luxury items brands like Tiffany sold.

Adler added: “People think that his association with luxury was because he was impressed with that shit, but he couldn’t care less.”

But Tiffany hit back at the claims from Basquiat’s friends that they along with Hov and Bey were exploiting his creativity.

The brand, that’s now under LVMH’s wing said that art can be seen in many different ways and Basquiat’s work is no different.

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Tiffany responded: “The beauty of art is that it can be interpreted in a number of ways. All important works provoke thought and create a dialogue.

“Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Equals Pi is no different, and we are pleased to be able to share this work with the world.”

The Carter’s were unveiled as the new faces of Tiffany last month as the company look to boost its sales.

It’s the second time LVMH’s owner Bernard Arnault has reached out to Hov to do business.

Earlier in the year, Arnault became part owner in the Roc Nation boss’ thriving champagne brand Ace Of Spades, further cementing their relationship.