The legend of Jean-Michel Basquiat is as strong as ever.
The 40 series presents new editions of some of the stars of our program-now more compact, friendly in price, and still realized with the same commitment to impeccable production..
In 2020, we celebrate 40 years of incredible books by staying true to our company credo.
About the series TASCHEN turns 40 this year! Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible publishing, helping bookworms around the world curate their own library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia at an unbeatable price.
Richly illustrated year-by-year chapter breaks follow the artist\'s life and quote from his own statements and contemporary reviews to provide both personal background and historical context.
With pristine reproductions of his most seminal paintings, drawings, and notebook sketches, it offers vivid proximity to Basquiat\'s intricate marks and scribbled words, further illuminated by an introduction to the artist from editor Hans Werner Holzwarth, as well as an essay on his themes and artistic development from curator and art historian Eleanor Nairne.
First published in an XXL edition, this unprecedented insight into Basquiat\'s art is now available in a compact, accessible volume in celebration of TASCHEN\'s 40th anniversary.
When Basquiat died at the age of 27, he had become one of the most successful artists of his time.
His work is inspired by a pantheon of luminaries from jazz, boxing, and basketball, with references to arcane history and the politics of street life-so when asked about his subject matter, Basquiat answered "royalty, heroism and the streets." In 1983 he started collaborating with the most famous of art stars, Andy Warhol, and in 1985 was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine.
Basquiat\'s expressive style was based on raw figures and integrated words and phrases.
As a painter with a strong personal voice, Basquiat soon broke into the established milieu, exhibiting in galleries around the world.
He appeared as part of a thriving underground scene of visual arts and graffiti, hip hop, post-punk, and DIY filmmaking, which met in a booming art world.
Synonymous with 1980s New York, the artist first appeared in the late 1970s under the tag SAMO, spraying caustic comments and fragmented poems on the walls of the city.
The legend of Jean-Michel Basquiat is as strong as ever
