Art Masters: Basquiat

Author Julian Voloj and illustrator Søren Mosdal’s graphic biography of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is full of “crackling energy and a breakneck pace to match the tumultuous life and career of their subject, whose synthesis of punk, pop, hip-hop, and street cultures continues to be influential more than 20 years after his death” ( Library Journal ). The dazzling, provocative work of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) would come to define the vibrant New York art scene of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Punk, jazz, graffiti, hip-hop: His work drew heavily on the cultural trappings of Lower Manhattan, to which he fled—from Brooklyn—at the age of 15. This stunning graphic novel captures the dramatic life and exhilarating times of this archetypal New York artist, covering everything from the SAMO graffiti project to his first solo show, from his relationship with Andy Warhol to the substance abuse that would cost him his life. Today, Basquiat’s influence can be seen not only in fine art but also in fashion, design, and music. Now, for the first time, his remarkable story is told in graphic novel form. This playful, authoritative biography shows Basquiat’s work to be more important, his themes more urgent, than ever before.