The legend of Jean-Michel Basquiat is as strong as ever. The artist, synonymous with New York in the 1980s, first appeared in the late 1970s under the name SAMO, spraying caustic remarks and fragmented poems on the city's walls. He appeared as part of a thriving underground scene of visual art and graffiti, hip-hop, post-punk and DIY filmmaking, which met in a thriving art world. A painter with a strong personal voice, Basquiat soon broke into the established milieu and exhibited in galleries around the world.
Basquiat's expressive style was based on raw figures and integrated words and phrases. His work is inspired by a pantheon of jazz, boxing and basketball greats, with references to arcane history and the politics of street life - so when asked about his subjects, Basquiat replied "royalty, heroism and the street." In 1983 he began collaborating with the most famous art star, Andy Warhol, and in 1985 he was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. When Basquiat died at the age of 27, he had become one of the most successful artists of his time.
This book provides an unprecedented insight into Basquiat's art, with pristine reproductions of his most important paintings, drawings and note sketches. In large format, the book offers vivid proximity to Basquiat's intricate markings and scribbled words, further clarified by an introduction about the artist by editor Hans Werner Holzwarth, as well as an essay on his themes and artistic development by curator and art historian Eleanor Nairne. Richly illustrated chapters by year follow the artist's life and quote from his own statements and contemporary reviews to provide both personal background and historical context.
Specifications
Title: Jean-Michel Basquiat
Author: Eleanor Nairne
Publisher: Taschen
Size: 290 x 395 mm
Size: 500 pages
Weight: 6090 grams
Language: English
Material: Hardcover
ISBN: 9783836550376
