Jean-Michel Basquiat

Beskrivelse

Jean-Michel Basquiat remains an iconic figure synonymous with 1980s New York. Emerging in the late 1970s under the tag SAMO, he made his mark by spray-painting sharp, poetic messages on city walls before rising to international fame as a painter.

A vivid portrayal of Basquiat's artistic journey and influence in the vibrant New York art scene.

Basquiat burst onto the scene as part of a dynamic underground culture that blended visual arts, graffiti, hip hop, post-punk, and DIY filmmaking, all thriving within a rapidly growing art world. His unique style combined raw, expressive figures with words and phrases, drawing inspiration from jazz, boxing, basketball, obscure history, and the realities of street life.

When asked about his subject matter, Basquiat famously said it was "royalty, heroism and the streets." His breakthrough came quickly as he began showing his work in galleries worldwide. In 1983, he collaborated with art icon Andy Warhol, and by 1985, he graced the cover of The New York Times Magazine. Despite passing away at just 27, Basquiat had established himself as one of the most successful artists of his era.

This edition, initially published in an XXL format, is now offered in a more compact and accessible volume celebrating TASCHEN’s 40th anniversary. It features immaculate reproductions of Basquiat’s most important paintings, drawings, and notebook sketches, giving readers an intimate look at his intricate marks and scrawled words.

The book includes an introduction by editor Hans Werner Holzwarth and an insightful essay on Basquiat’s themes and artistic evolution by curator and art historian Eleanor Nairne. Richly illustrated chapters organized year-by-year trace the artist’s life, enriched by his own quotes and contemporary reviews to provide both personal insight and historical context.

Yderligere information