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Basquiat

Series: Basic Art
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Jean-Michel Basquiat was a defining figure of 1980s New York art, rising from his early graffiti work as "SAMO" to international fame by age 20. This book explores his brief yet influential career, highlighting how his innovative blend of abstraction, figuration, poetry, and painting challenged issues of power and racism. Drawing on diverse inspirations from African and classical art to jazz and contemporary artists like Andy Warhol, Basquiat crafted vivid works that remain powerful cultural and social commentaries.
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Essential for readers interested in modern art, cultural history, and social critique, as well as fans of graffiti and street art, and those seeking insight into the intersection of art and activism.

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From the streets of New York to the walls of its most prominent galleries, young graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was catapulted to international fame in his early 20s and died of a drug-overdose at 27. Basquiat is one of the most admired artists to emerge from the 1980s art boom.

About the Series: Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features: A detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance. A concise biography. Approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An icon of 1980s New York, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) first made his name under the graffiti tag "SAMO", before establishing his studio practice and catapulting to fast fame at the age of 20. Although his career lasted barely a decade, he remains a cult figure of artistic social commentary and a trailblazer in the mediation of graffiti and gallery art.

Basquiat's work drew upon diverse sources and media to create an original and urgent artistic vocabulary, biting with critique against structures of power and racism. His practice merged abstraction and figuration, poetry and painting, while his influences spanned Greek, Roman, and African art, French poetry, jazz, and the work of artistic contemporaries such as Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly. The results are vivid, visceral mixtures of words, African emblems, cartoonish figures, daubs of bold colour, and beyond.

Basquiat presents Basquiat's short but prolific career, his unique style, and his profound engagement with ever-relevant issues of integration and segregation, poverty and wealth.

Series: Basic Art

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9783836559799

Publisher: Taschen GmbH

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 16 September 2015

Country: Germany

Imprint: Taschen GmbH

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 210.0mm

Height: 260.0mm

Weight: 614g

Pages: 96

About the Author

Leonhard Emmerling received his doctorate from the University of Heidelberg for a thesis titled "Jean Dubuffet’s Art Theory." He is head of the South Asia regional program at the Goethe-Institute in New Delhi and was previously active as a curator at various art institutions in Germany. His publications include TASCHEN’s Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock.

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