The star artist of the eighties, who brought poverty, power, and racism to walls and galleries
Icon of 1980s New York,
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) initially made a name for himself by signing graffiti as "SAMO," before establishing his studio and quickly achieving fame at just 20 years old. Although his career lasted barely a decade, he is still considered a cult figure in the
socially engaged art and a pioneer in mediation between the
Graffiti and gallery art. In his work,
Basquiat He made use of diverse sources and means to create an original and urgent artistic vocabulary, which also constituted a scathing critique against
power structures and racism. In his practice he fused abstraction and figuration, poetry and painting, while his influences encompassed everything from the
From Greek, Roman and African art to French poetry and the rhythms of jazz and the work of contemporary artists such as
Andy Warhol and Cy Twombly. The results are vivid and visceral mixtures of words, African emblems, cartoon figures and splashes of bright colors, among a multitude of other details.
This book presents the brief but prolific career of
Basquiat , his unique style and his deep involvement with such relevant issues as integration and segregation, poverty and wealth.
