Basquiat (Basic Art) [Hardcover]

Leonhard Emmerling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2011 | Series: Basic Art

From the streets to the galleries: the artist who turned the institution upside down

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. The subject of a feature film by fellow artist Julian Schnabel, Basquiat is one of the most admired artists to emerge from the 1980s art boom. This book explores his short but prolific career.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Leonhard Emmerling received his doctorate from the University of Heidelberg for a thesis entitled 'Kunsttheorie Jean Dubuffets'. Since 2002 he has been working as an author and contemporary art exhibition curator in Berlin, Kaiserslautern, Krefeld and Ludwigsburg, Germany. He is currently director of St Paul St Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand, and curator of the New Zealand pavilion at the Venice Biennial in 2009. His publications include TASCHEN’s Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (March 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3836527146
• ISBN-13: 978-3836527149
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Contemporary Art
  • #71 in Books > Arts & Photography > Individual Artists
  • #83 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > African-American & Black

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and friendly, an ideal introduction, June 27, 2006

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Basquiat. (Paperback)

In spite of many who claim that Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was but a flash in the pan, a faddish personality whose work won't survive, today there are many different presentations of his art published. This TASCHEN overview by Leonhard Emmerling, however, might be the best introduction for those who have never come across this great figure. Basquiat's art speaks to this reviewer who encountered the painter only years after the time in which he lived and worked, and Emmerling's book explains just what's so special about him.

I come to like this TASCHEN series. None of its titles meant to provide exhaustive coverage of a painter's oeuvre. Instead, they give a brief biography with examples of outstanding work from each period. And this one on Basquiat is no different. In the prose portion of the work, Emmerling tracks Basquiat from his humble beginnings as a grafitti artist through his discovery and brief fame, and ultimately to his death from a heroin overdose on August 12, 1988. Especially attention is paid to his relationship with Andy Warhol, and the rather misguided partnerships he had with Warhol and Francesco Clemente. A coda discusses views of Basquiat after his death, with savage words against Schnabel's film. Throughout, Emmerling portrays Basquiat as a conflicted figure, half in the art scene and half sick of the commercialism, and unsure of whether to embrace his African heritage or assimilate to upper-class white values.

The selected paintings are presented here in glorious colour. I was very pleased to see that Emmerling features Basquiat's "Pegasus", a massive and intensely-detailed pencil work which I believe is his masterpiece. His "Angel" gets a full-page spread (as well as the cover), and his fascinating "Baptism" an entire page. Many of Basquiat's sly jabs against commercialism, for example by painting a dollar sign on the work, are featured.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just an overall fun book to read and enjoy..., April 2, 2011

By 

I Got Soul - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Basquiat (Basic Art) (Hardcover)

I've read other books in pertinence to Basquait and as childish as this may sound, I really enjoyed this one due to the saturation of art on every page! I've noticed that an enormous amount of people are intrigued by Basquiat's "live fast, die young" kind of rockstar persona and have completely missed the most important aspect of what he even lived and died for: his art. Much like any other brilliant artist, everything you want to know about him is right there in his paintings. Even his SAMO graffiti showed you his sporadic train of thought and strangely enough his own evolution. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. It's an incredible bargain for this price.

5.0 out of 5 stars Go for it!, February 10, 2012

By 

oneofakind - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Basquiat (Basic Art) (Hardcover)

You wont regret to have this book. good quality !!! Shipped on time,I bought Pollock and Basquiat. You wont be just reading the book, both of them has lots of pictures of his works that you will enjoy to see.
Thanks again!