Jean-Michel Basquiat [Hardcover]

Rudy Chiappini (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 12, 2005

Controversial cult artist, enfant terrible of the art world, friend of Haring and Warhol, and both idol and a victim of the art scene of the '80s-Jean-Michel Basquiat was a legend in his own lifetime. This catalog, published in conjunction with the major retrospective at the Lugano Museum of Modern Art, provides an excellent overview of Basquiat's life and work. As an African-American painter, Basquiat has made a significant impact on the history of contemporary art. From his origins as a street graffiti artist, he became one of the most influential artists of his time: in 2005 his work is being celebrated in seperate exhibitions in the US and Europe. As emblems of the contemporary world, his explosive, colorful, and apparently naéf canvases have an unparalleled force. The brief but intense artistic career of this celebrated proponent of the downtown New York art scene of the 1980s is covered through some fifty paintings and twenty works on paper drawn from prestigious private collections and museums. This book offers a new intense dialogue with the more modern expressions of twentieth-century art.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Emerging from New York's 1970s counterculture, Jean-Michel Basquiat conquered the mainstream art world in 1981, when an Artforum profile by René Ricard dubbed him the love child of Cy Twombly and Jean Dubuffet. Basquiat brought with him a visual lexicon of graffiti symbols and urban rage—an artistic style that many critics of the day deemed more eye-sore than art form. Chiappini's study of Basquiat's work, which spans the artist's career from his earliest SoHo shows to his premature death at 27, interweaves six essays, one interview and 162 images (80 in color) to provide a narrative (and argument) for Basquiat's placement in the art world pantheon. While some critics, like Italian art historian Achille Bonito Oliva, tend to overintellectualize Basquiat's intentions, the artist's interview with Henry Geldzahler reveals his unpretentious methods and practical concerns. Particularly interesting is former Whitney curator Richard D. Marshall's essay, which traces the young artist's many inspirations and influences: Pollock, Twombly, Warhol and, above all, the New York City streets. (Aug.)
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About the Author

Rudy Chiappini is Director of the Lugano Modern Art Museum.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Skira (July 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8876242643
• ISBN-13: 978-8876242649
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 10.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Basquiat in photos, December 13, 2010

By 

moises becker - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jean-Michel Basquiat (Hardcover)

For lovers of the work of Basquiat this is an important book to have.
Size of the pictures is excellent and quality of them is also very good.
Gives you a clear image of the work of this great artist.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Quality, February 25, 2006

By 

J. Henriques (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jean-Michel Basquiat (Hardcover)

I highly recommend this book. The print quality and color of the images is top notch. And there's a ton of great info as well. There's no reason not to get this if you're interested in Jean-Michel at all.