Customer Reviews

King for a Decade

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As a big fan of Basqiat, I am always glad to find new books on his work and insight to his life. This book offers both. Each year has its own chapter with corresponding work with interviews mixed in to give insight to artist life. His noise band Gray, Mary Boone, Annina Nosei, Paige Powell and others give comments and insights to his life and work. Some pretty cool grab shots of Jean-Michel mixed in with tons of quality color reproductions make this book a treasure trove of images. All in all a great book and a must have if you consider yourself a Basquiat fan!

KING FOR A DECADE is a combination of the art of Jean-Michael Basquiat together with interviews with people close to him, compiled by Taka Kawachi. Among those interviewed are colleagues in the noise band Gray, the musician and actor John Lurie, the writer and columnist Glenn O'Brien, and the gallery owners Mary Boone and Bruno Bischofberger. Some of the art highlights include the design for a record, and his "Odalisque". As an appendix Kawachi's essay on the issue of race in Basquiat's works is included.

Unfortunately, this is all presented in a manner that cannot claim to be a serious work of reference. There is no table of contents or index, and the page layout is difficult to read. The publishers apparently wanted the work to be a work of art in its own right. Still, there is art by Basquiat here, and so fans may wish to check it out.