R. Chiappini - Jean-Michel Basquiat - 2005

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Curated by Rudy Chiappini

Through the essays of Achille Bonito Oliva, Henry Geldzahler, Richard D. Marshall, Jeffrey Hoffeld, Bruno Bischofberger, Luciano Caprile, the catalog of the works (curated by Luca Marenzi) and the artist's biography (curated by Gaia Regazzoni), the monograph, which accompanies the Lugano exhibition, retraces the entire artistic path of this legendary figure defined over time as the “Jimi Hendrix of art,” or also the “Boy King,” allowing a deeper understanding of one of the main protagonists of international 20th-century art.
Basquiat was one of the few emerging artists to enjoy not only immediate international fame but also to be rapidly urged to exhibit his works in the most renowned galleries of New York, and subsequently, around the world. Intelligent, curious, full of life, Basquiat breaks with tradition and imposes his brutal truth, denouncing the dangers of a modern life: money, drugs, sex, adulation, oppression and racism. In his works, the rebellious artist incorporates every kind of element: from mass-culture symbols, to references to jazz mythology, from the depiction of black heroes made famous in sport and music, to skeletons and skulls inspired by a fascination with death. His creations are a fusion of symbols, writings and colors. The colors are not those of a painting on an easel attained with learned art; they are the colors of life, of the street, at once bright and faded, superimposed like posters on panels that reveal the tears.
The itinerary, organized in chronological order, presents, through a rigorous selection of works, about fifty paintings, about twenty drawings and the “collaborations” carried out with Andy Warhol and Francesco Clemente, canvases commissioned by the Zurich art dealer Bruno Bischofberger who became Basquiat’s exclusive gallery representative until his death. It will be with Warhol that the artist will establish one of the most important bonds of his life, and the death of the master of pop art in 1987 will leave an irreparable void in Basquiat’s life. To complete the catalog, unpublished photographs by the well-known Lugano-born director Edo Bertoglio, some of which were taken during the filming of the movie “New York Beat” later renamed “Downtown 81,” in which Basquiat played the leading role of a nineteen-year-old artist still unknown who tries to survive in the vibrant downtown New York artistic-musical community of the early eighties.

The volume presents itself in overall excellent condition. Cover without defects. Sturdy softcover. Interior pages clean without folds or stains. An excellent copy for collection/consultation.