Jean-Michel Basquiat. Hardcover Art Coffee Table Book

A King's Ransom: The Unfiltered Brilliance of Jean-Michel Basquiat  👑🎨

In the electrifying art world of the 1980s, one name burned brighter and faster than any other: Jean-Michel Basquiat. A true luminary of contemporary art and a pivotal figure in modern art history, Basquiat’s legacy is a testament to raw, unapologetic genius. Now, the revered German publisher Taschen, synonymous with exquisite luxury art books, honours his extraordinary life and work with an essential hardcover art coffee table book. This is more than a book; it is a meticulously curated art monograph, a cornerstone for any serious art collector's library.

512 pages 📖

The legend of Basquiat is forged in the cauldron of late 1970s New York, a city throbbing with a vibrant underground scene of visual arts, graffiti, hip hop, and post-punk. He first emerged not as a painter, but as 'SAMO', a cryptic tag spraying acerbic, poetic commentary on city walls. It's a fascinating fact that Basquiat and his friend Al Diaz coined this tag, short for 'Same Old Shit', before Basquiat famously declared 'SAMO IS DEAD' and turned his attention to canvas. His transition from the streets to the elite art world was meteoric, a defiant act that blurred the line between 'high' and 'low' art and cemented his place as a master of Neo-Expressionism.

Dimensions: 15.6 x 4.4 x 21.7 cm 📕

Basquiat's expressive style is instantly recognisable, a powerful visual language inspired by a pantheon of Black royalty and heroism. His work pulses with references to jazz, boxing, and basketball legends, interwoven with anatomical drawings and fragmented words. The latter is a direct influence from a childhood accident. After being hit by a car, his mother gave him a copy of Gray's Anatomy, which he devoured, and its influence is clear in the raw, powerful figures that populate his canvases. He spoke of his subjects as "royalty, heroism and the streets," a profound reflection of his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage and the societal issues he addressed head on.