The legend of Jean-Michel Basquiat is as strong as ever. 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. 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. As a painter with a strong personal voice, Basquiat soon broke into the established milieu, exhibiting in galleries around the world.
Basquiat’s expressive style was based on raw figures and integrated words and phrases. 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. When Basquiat died at the age of 27, he had become one of the most successful artists of his time.
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. 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. 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.
About the series
TASCHEN turns 40! 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. Today we celebrate 40 years of incredible books by staying true to our company credo. 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.
Reviews (86)
Five stars for the book, zero stars for Amazon
This is an amazing book, buy it by all means. I still do not understand how Taschen can afford to produce books of this quality at this price. Having said that, I would highly discourage buying this from amazon. They ship it in a slightly larger book without any air bubbles or something that could function as padding. As a result, the book moves during shipment, and the corners arrive damaged (bent etc). Please Amazon, fix this!
Beautiful but torn
Beautiful book, unfortunately the page that covers the pages came torn...normally this wouldn't be a big deal to me but considering this was a special edition I am disappointed in that.
Good format, but just misses the mark.
The text is not the most accurate information on Basquiat, and they don’t mention Steven Torton who made his original stretcher bars with the exposed corners and painted many of the backgrounds. The format of the book is good. As someone who has collected many Basquiat catalogs to compare it with and has seen his work in person, you can see that some of the color plates are not the best, so that is why we are only giving it a 4 star rating instead of five.
PICTURES ARE VIBRANT! Smaller sized "coffee table" book than sellers picture depicts.
My only issue was the Sellers picture of the book, makes it look larger than it is, I didn't check the specs. The pictures are vibrant and I could only imagine if the book was a bit larger in size how Basquiat's works would have popped off the pages.
WOW!
The value for money in these TASCHEN 40th Anniversary books can't be overstated. The only downside is that the originals were printed in landslide and don't suffer the same loss of image the closer to the binding you get as it feels quite tight. Still...great stuff!
arrived damaged
arrived damaged, replaced, arrived damaged...eye roll
Amazing
It’s absolutely great can’t wait to give it to my best friend!
Truly Satisfied
I am truly satisfied with my order, thank you!
Of Many, This is the One.
If you only want one Basquiat book, this would be the one to get.
Great book nice photos glossy clear 500 pages wonderful for the price
For the price cant be better
Five stars for the book, zero stars for Amazon
This is an amazing book, buy it by all means. I still do not understand how Taschen can afford to produce books of this quality at this price. Having said that, I would highly discourage buying this from amazon. They ship it in a slightly larger book without any air bubbles or something that could function as padding. As a result, the book moves during shipment, and the corners arrive damaged (bent etc). Please Amazon, fix this!
Beautiful but torn
Beautiful book, unfortunately the page that covers the pages came torn...normally this wouldn't be a big deal to me but considering this was a special edition I am disappointed in that.
Good format, but just misses the mark.
The text is not the most accurate information on Basquiat, and they don’t mention Steven Torton who made his original stretcher bars with the exposed corners and painted many of the backgrounds. The format of the book is good. As someone who has collected many Basquiat catalogs to compare it with and has seen his work in person, you can see that some of the color plates are not the best, so that is why we are only giving it a 4 star rating instead of five.
PICTURES ARE VIBRANT! Smaller sized "coffee table" book than sellers picture depicts.
My only issue was the Sellers picture of the book, makes it look larger than it is, I didn't check the specs. The pictures are vibrant and I could only imagine if the book was a bit larger in size how Basquiat's works would have popped off the pages.
WOW!
The value for money in these TASCHEN 40th Anniversary books can't be overstated. The only downside is that the originals were printed in landslide and don't suffer the same loss of image the closer to the binding you get as it feels quite tight. Still...great stuff!
arrived damaged
arrived damaged, replaced, arrived damaged...eye roll
Amazing
It’s absolutely great can’t wait to give it to my best friend!
Truly Satisfied
I am truly satisfied with my order, thank you!
Of Many, This is the One.
If you only want one Basquiat book, this would be the one to get.
Great book nice photos glossy clear 500 pages wonderful for the price
For the price cant be better
Five stars for the book, zero stars for Amazon
This is an amazing book, buy it by all means. I still do not understand how Taschen can afford to produce books of this quality at this price. Having said that, I would highly discourage buying this from amazon. They ship it in a slightly larger book without any air bubbles or something that could function as padding. As a result, the book moves during shipment, and the corners arrive damaged (bent etc). Please Amazon, fix this!
Beautiful but torn
Beautiful book, unfortunately the page that covers the pages came torn...normally this wouldn't be a big deal to me but considering this was a special edition I am disappointed in that.
Good format, but just misses the mark.
The text is not the most accurate information on Basquiat, and they don’t mention Steven Torton who made his original stretcher bars with the exposed corners and painted many of the backgrounds. The format of the book is good. As someone who has collected many Basquiat catalogs to compare it with and has seen his work in person, you can see that some of the color plates are not the best, so that is why we are only giving it a 4 star rating instead of five.
PICTURES ARE VIBRANT! Smaller sized "coffee table" book than sellers picture depicts.
My only issue was the Sellers picture of the book, makes it look larger than it is, I didn't check the specs. The pictures are vibrant and I could only imagine if the book was a bit larger in size how Basquiat's works would have popped off the pages.
WOW!
The value for money in these TASCHEN 40th Anniversary books can't be overstated. The only downside is that the originals were printed in landslide and don't suffer the same loss of image the closer to the binding you get as it feels quite tight. Still...great stuff!
arrived damaged
arrived damaged, replaced, arrived damaged...eye roll
Amazing
It’s absolutely great can’t wait to give it to my best friend!
Truly Satisfied
I am truly satisfied with my order, thank you!
Of Many, This is the One.
If you only want one Basquiat book, this would be the one to get.
Great book nice photos glossy clear 500 pages wonderful for the price
For the price cant be better
Five stars for the book, zero stars for Amazon
This is an amazing book, buy it by all means. I still do not understand how Taschen can afford to produce books of this quality at this price. Having said that, I would highly discourage buying this from amazon. They ship it in a slightly larger book without any air bubbles or something that could function as padding. As a result, the book moves during shipment, and the corners arrive damaged (bent etc). Please Amazon, fix this!
Beautiful but torn
Beautiful book, unfortunately the page that covers the pages came torn...normally this wouldn't be a big deal to me but considering this was a special edition I am disappointed in that.
Good format, but just misses the mark.
The text is not the most accurate information on Basquiat, and they don’t mention Steven Torton who made his original stretcher bars with the exposed corners and painted many of the backgrounds. The format of the book is good. As someone who has collected many Basquiat catalogs to compare it with and has seen his work in person, you can see that some of the color plates are not the best, so that is why we are only giving it a 4 star rating instead of five.
PICTURES ARE VIBRANT! Smaller sized "coffee table" book than sellers picture depicts.
My only issue was the Sellers picture of the book, makes it look larger than it is, I didn't check the specs. The pictures are vibrant and I could only imagine if the book was a bit larger in size how Basquiat's works would have popped off the pages.
WOW!
The value for money in these TASCHEN 40th Anniversary books can't be overstated. The only downside is that the originals were printed in landslide and don't suffer the same loss of image the closer to the binding you get as it feels quite tight. Still...great stuff!
arrived damaged
arrived damaged, replaced, arrived damaged...eye roll
Amazing
It’s absolutely great can’t wait to give it to my best friend!
Truly Satisfied
I am truly satisfied with my order, thank you!
Of Many, This is the One.
If you only want one Basquiat book, this would be the one to get.
Great book nice photos glossy clear 500 pages wonderful for the price
For the price cant be better
Five stars for the book, zero stars for Amazon
This is an amazing book, buy it by all means. I still do not understand how Taschen can afford to produce books of this quality at this price. Having said that, I would highly discourage buying this from amazon. They ship it in a slightly larger book without any air bubbles or something that could function as padding. As a result, the book moves during shipment, and the corners arrive damaged (bent etc). Please Amazon, fix this!
Beautiful but torn
Beautiful book, unfortunately the page that covers the pages came torn...normally this wouldn't be a big deal to me but considering this was a special edition I am disappointed in that.
Good format, but just misses the mark.
The text is not the most accurate information on Basquiat, and they don’t mention Steven Torton who made his original stretcher bars with the exposed corners and painted many of the backgrounds. The format of the book is good. As someone who has collected many Basquiat catalogs to compare it with and has seen his work in person, you can see that some of the color plates are not the best, so that is why we are only giving it a 4 star rating instead of five.
PICTURES ARE VIBRANT! Smaller sized "coffee table" book than sellers picture depicts.
My only issue was the Sellers picture of the book, makes it look larger than it is, I didn't check the specs. The pictures are vibrant and I could only imagine if the book was a bit larger in size how Basquiat's works would have popped off the pages.
WOW!
The value for money in these TASCHEN 40th Anniversary books can't be overstated. The only downside is that the originals were printed in landslide and don't suffer the same loss of image the closer to the binding you get as it feels quite tight. Still...great stuff!
arrived damaged
arrived damaged, replaced, arrived damaged...eye roll
Amazing
It’s absolutely great can’t wait to give it to my best friend!
Truly Satisfied
I am truly satisfied with my order, thank you!
Of Many, This is the One.
If you only want one Basquiat book, this would be the one to get.
Great book nice photos glossy clear 500 pages wonderful for the price
For the price cant be better
This Book makes a good topic for conversations
I love this Book. I bought it as a gift for a friend who loves this artist and he loves it.
Amo este libro!
Espectacular!!!!
Jean- Michel Basquit
Excellent book
Size
Nice size for the money
Thank you.
Quick ship. Great book.
Love it 100%
Me encantó!
LOVE IT!
Truly recommend it. And it's a beautiful thick book!
Basquiat Anniversary Book
Gave to my daughter as a gift and she loved it... she’s an art lover.
Beautiful book, but not the XL size.
Please note: This is NOT the XL book. The book is absolutely beautiful, the only thing I am disappointed in is myself- I did not fully read the description. I thought this was the XL book, but when it arrived it was the size of an average paperback. It’s definitely not the size of a coffee table book, but again it’s still beautiful.
Melhor livro de arte que já comprei
Simplesmente perfeito. Desde pequena sempre fui fascinada por Basquiat e suas obras, e então entrei no ramo artístico por conta da influência marcante do meu fascínio pelo artista, nunca imaginei que teria uma biografia tão completa e incrível do mesmo, é um sonho realizado
Five stars for the book, zero stars for Amazon
This is an amazing book, buy it by all means. I still do not understand how Taschen can afford to produce books of this quality at this price. Having said that, I would highly discourage buying this from amazon. They ship it in a slightly larger book without any air bubbles or something that could function as padding. As a result, the book moves during shipment, and the corners arrive damaged (bent etc). Please Amazon, fix this!
Beautiful but torn
Beautiful book, unfortunately the page that covers the pages came torn...normally this wouldn't be a big deal to me but considering this was a special edition I am disappointed in that.
Good format, but just misses the mark.
The text is not the most accurate information on Basquiat, and they don’t mention Steven Torton who made his original stretcher bars with the exposed corners and painted many of the backgrounds. The format of the book is good. As someone who has collected many Basquiat catalogs to compare it with and has seen his work in person, you can see that some of the color plates are not the best, so that is why we are only giving it a 4 star rating instead of five.
PICTURES ARE VIBRANT! Smaller sized "coffee table" book than sellers picture depicts.
My only issue was the Sellers picture of the book, makes it look larger than it is, I didn't check the specs. The pictures are vibrant and I could only imagine if the book was a bit larger in size how Basquiat's works would have popped off the pages.
WOW!
The value for money in these TASCHEN 40th Anniversary books can't be overstated. The only downside is that the originals were printed in landslide and don't suffer the same loss of image the closer to the binding you get as it feels quite tight. Still...great stuff!
arrived damaged
arrived damaged, replaced, arrived damaged...eye roll
Amazing
It’s absolutely great can’t wait to give it to my best friend!
Truly Satisfied
I am truly satisfied with my order, thank you!
Of Many, This is the One.
If you only want one Basquiat book, this would be the one to get.
Great book nice photos glossy clear 500 pages wonderful for the price
For the price cant be better
Livro de qualidade incrível
Gostei muito da qualidade do papel e da impressão. Mais bonito que muita gente por aí (hahaha). Valeu realmente a pena, recomendo!
Thumbs up
Awesome! Never expected the book quality so good. The book is very thick and heavy. Received in good condition with the cling wrapped.
Recebido.
Livro maravilhoso!
Belo livro
Excelente livro, com ótima qualidade das imagens. Vale muito pra quem é fã do artista!
Not amazed
I thought it would be bigger, my bad, its like the size of a diary, if that's what you looking for...
Good book
Wonderful!! Great value.
Five stars for the book, zero stars for Amazon
This is an amazing book, buy it by all means. I still do not understand how Taschen can afford to produce books of this quality at this price. Having said that, I would highly discourage buying this from amazon. They ship it in a slightly larger book without any air bubbles or something that could function as padding. As a result, the book moves during shipment, and the corners arrive damaged (bent etc). Please Amazon, fix this!
Beautiful but torn
Beautiful book, unfortunately the page that covers the pages came torn...normally this wouldn't be a big deal to me but considering this was a special edition I am disappointed in that.
Good format, but just misses the mark.
The text is not the most accurate information on Basquiat, and they don’t mention Steven Torton who made his original stretcher bars with the exposed corners and painted many of the backgrounds. The format of the book is good. As someone who has collected many Basquiat catalogs to compare it with and has seen his work in person, you can see that some of the color plates are not the best, so that is why we are only giving it a 4 star rating instead of five.
PICTURES ARE VIBRANT! Smaller sized "coffee table" book than sellers picture depicts.
My only issue was the Sellers picture of the book, makes it look larger than it is, I didn't check the specs. The pictures are vibrant and I could only imagine if the book was a bit larger in size how Basquiat's works would have popped off the pages.
WOW!
The value for money in these TASCHEN 40th Anniversary books can't be overstated. The only downside is that the originals were printed in landslide and don't suffer the same loss of image the closer to the binding you get as it feels quite tight. Still...great stuff!
arrived damaged
arrived damaged, replaced, arrived damaged...eye roll
Amazing
It’s absolutely great can’t wait to give it to my best friend!
Truly Satisfied
I am truly satisfied with my order, thank you!
Of Many, This is the One.
If you only want one Basquiat book, this would be the one to get.
Great book nice photos glossy clear 500 pages wonderful for the price
For the price cant be better
