To this day, the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) has lost none of its freshness, spontaneity, or power. The artist first emerged in the late 1970s New York art scene under the tag name SAMO, spraying sarcastic comments and fragments of poems onto the city’s walls. As this underground scene, shaped by street art, hip-hop, post-punk, and DIY filmmakers, pushed into more established circles, Basquiat’s expressive painting drew major attention in the art world. By 1981 he was showing in important New York galleries, and soon after became known worldwide. In 1983 he began collaborating with the then biggest star of the art scene, Andy Warhol, and in 1985 Basquiat appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine. When he died at just 27, he was one of the most successful artists of his time.

Basquiat’s personal, expressive style combines rough figure drawings with words and phrases integrated into the picture field. Inspired by jazz stars, famous boxers, and basketball players, his work contains a wealth of references to the history and politics of street life. Basquiat’s answer when asked about his subjects was: “Kings, heroism, and the street.”

TASCHEN now publishes this slightly abridged, more compact edition for the publisher’s 40th anniversary. Outstanding reproductions of his paintings, drawings, and notebook sketches allow close study of Basquiat’s tangled signs and scrawled word fragments. The volume includes an introduction by editor Hans Werner Holzwarth, as well as an essay by curator Eleanor Nairne on Basquiat’s themes and artistic development. Richly illustrated chapters follow the artist’s life year by year, quoting his own statements and contemporary reviews, and explaining personal background and historical context.