A portal into Basquiat's world

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) hit the ‘80s downtown New York scene like a lightening bolt, his output merging the urgency of graffiti with the fragility and beauty of poetry and the raw, emotionally-charged painting of Neo-expressionism. He was also a black artist. Significant in the fact that he rose to international superstardom in what was a predominantly white art world, using his output to critique systemic racism, colonialism and consumerism. His life was brief but his influence eternal.

Much has been written about the artist but a new Assouline book Basquiat: The World of Jean-Michel produced in collaboration with the art dealership Colour Themes, delves deeper into Basquiat’s universe – and the characters and community drawn by his magnetic talent – through more than 200 artworks and archival photographs, as well personal reflections by people who knew the artist or have been inspired by his legacy. Artist George Condo, American art collector Peter Brant and musician Lenny Kravitz all contribute, as do the voices of Basquiat’s contemporaries who are no longer with us, including his friend and collaborator Keith Haring and fashion designer Valentino Garavani.

The raw revolutionary spirit of Basquiat’s paintings is explored through six chapters, charting the psychological drive of his depictions of heads, the imprint of New York City on his visual language, and his radical expansion of painting through the use of silk screens and dense, multilayered surfaces. Highlighted are observations on his portrayal of male archetypes, his engagement with Black art spanning African visual traditions and the African American experience, and echoes of the mythical and spiritual in his iconography. From Red Skull (1982), his famed painting depicting a floating crimson cranium: a motif exploring identity, mortality and the intense, often overwhelming experience of sudden fame, to the rarely published Untitled (Devil’s Head) (1987), a raw, psychological exploration of mortality, systemic oppression, and his own internal struggles, the book is a survey of the breadth of the artist’s output. What emerges is a legacy that transcends the canvas – and a cultural influence that continues to this day.

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