Basquiat

　　1970年代末期，紐約布魯克林街頭的各處牆面，突然冒出了一個署名「SAMO」的街頭塗鴉，被世人稱為「黑人畢卡索」的一代塗鴉鬼才Jean-Michel Basquiat橫空出世，成為該時代藝術界中最年輕，也最閃亮的一顆星。

　　全球著名藝術出版社TASCHEN為了慶祝40周年，特別將原本大尺寸Basquiat作品集以方便攜帶的尺寸全新推出，以史無前例的觀察、精闢的評論、紮實的背景解說，帶領大家進入Basquiat的藝術世界。收錄藝術家街頭塗鴉、插畫、草稿等眾多作品，由來自倫敦著名藝術中心的館長Eleanor Nairne，以及編輯過眾多當代藝術家作品集的Hans Werner Holzwarth，共同探討其中難解的圖像意向。除此之外還穿插Basquiat的生平，以及來自他自己論述中的那些經典字句，讓讀者能搭配作者個人背景以及歷史脈絡的說明下，更能體會Basquiat所提出的觀點。

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.