Author(s): Marc Mayer

Art

Born in Brooklyn in 1960, Jean-Michel Basquiat was only 27 when he died, his meteoric and often controversial career having lasted for just eight years. Despite his early death, Basquiat's large and powerful oeuvre has ensured his continuing reputation as one of modern art's most distinctive and eloquent voices. Borrowing from graffiti and street imagery, cartoons, mythology and religious symbolism, Basquiat's drawings and paintings explore issues of race and identity, providing social commentary that is shrewdly observed and biting. This book examines and celebrates the achievements of one of the most original artists of the late twentieth century.