Basquiat: Art Masters Series

by Julian Voloj (Contributor), Sren Glosimodt Mosdal (Illustrations)

Author Julian Voloj and illustrator Søren Mosdal’s graphic biography of the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is full of “crackling energy and a breakneck pace to match the tumultuous life and career of their subject, whose synthesis of punk, pop, hip-hop, and street cultures continues to be influential more than 20 years after his death” ( Library Journal ).

The dazzling, provocative work of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–1988) would come to define the vibrant New York art scene of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. Punk, jazz, graffiti, His work drew heavily on the cultural trappings of Lower Manhattan, to which he fled—from Brooklyn—at the age of 15. This stunning graphic novel captures the dramatic life and exhilarating times of this archetypal New York artist, covering everything from the SAMO graffiti project to his first solo show, from his relationship with Andy Warhol to the substance abuse that would cost him his life.

Today, Basquiat’s influence can be seen not only in fine art but also in fashion, design, and music. Now, for the first time, his remarkable story is told in graphic novel form. This playful, authoritative biography shows Basquiat’s work to be more important, his themes more urgent, than ever before.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Art, Nonfiction, Biography, Graphic Novels Comics, Bande Dessinée

136 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2019

Reviews

[brian annan · Rating 3 out of 5]

the energy of the art captures the fury and urgency of Jean-Michel’s life/work,
but the narrative is lacking soul.
it doesn’t cover enough of his thoughts/feelings/philosophies and neither does it do much for his relationships other than mention their existence, without any purpose or their importance explained.
the book covers heavily his sexual and chemical exploits but does little to impress the importance of Basquiat’s revolutionary art.

[Adam Stone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to be positive about this, but it was just cliche after cliche.

Apart from their art, there isn't much to tell about Basquiat's stories besides bare-bones third hand sources. So to fill up their story, every generic tortured artist trope was thrown at the wall, hoping to make the story stick. It didn't work for me. The writing was so stitlted that, even if it's based completely on truths, it feels manipulatively dishonest. Like a late 20th century bio-pic.

Save yourself the cash and just revel in Basquiat's actual art.

I don't recommend this. You can get the same information about their life from Wikipedia, and not feel like Basquiat was exploited.

[Manasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a very frenetic energy, both in terms of pacing and artwork. On one hand, this tone may adequately portray Basquiat’s style, rapid ascent in the art world, and brevity of life. However, on the whole, I don't think it offers the complexity that an icon of his magnitude deserves. Recommended for a brief introduction to the events and characters that informed Basquiat’s path, as long as more versions of the story are sought out afterward!

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basquiat is my all time favourite of everything. And im fucking loving these art master books (this is the second one I've read). I love an artist using their own style of art to talk to you about a famous artist and their art. Graphic novel was not long enough, i just wanted it to keep on going foreverrrr

[kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

cool but like didn’t make sense things just kept happening

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A more chronological, straightforward biography of Basquiat than the comparable Basquiat book I just read, this Basquiat suffers a bit from portraying Basquiat almost solely as a drug-addled, mentally ill person who barely had a grasp on reality. I'm certain his life was more nuanced than that.

The conceit of Basquiat reminiscing about his life while on his death-bed works fine, even if it's an over-used conceit in these types of graphic biographies. The art is vivid and always in motion, matching Basquiat's kinetic characteristics. This Basquiat shows many of the same life events as the other Basquiat, although I appreciated that we got more of the artist's point of view rather than the POV of those around him.

Neither graphic biography is great. Both suffer from inadequate structure and overabundance of style, though they're satisfying reads. This Basquiat is likely preferable if you want to follow the man from the cradle to the grave.

[Flow Pouet · Rating 2 out of 5]

L'impression d'être passée sur l'autoroute de la vie de Basquiat, réduit à une succession d'événements avec peu de reliefs... Heureusement que le trait de Soren Mosdal était intéressant, sinon je ne crois pas que j'aurais terminé le livre... L'avantage : l'envie de trouver des livres plus pertinents sur sa vie.

[Jay Fleckenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, trippy art style, with a narrative that displays the unraveling of basquiat’s mind, and narrated by his own conscious which I thought was interesting. but it seems like details are omitted or glossed over so that certain scenes feel disjointed or nonlinear or just unclear as to what happened.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations, but much of Basquiat’s life story felt vague, missing, or left to interpretation.

[Mads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Frenetic, disorienting and confusing - detracts from the narrative, assumes a lot of prior knowledge from the reader. Devoid of anything relating to creative process or ideas. Very disappointing.

[B!!! · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s really sad that such a talented person died so young

[Le P'tit Tannant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manque de synthèse dans l’ensemble, des anectodes racontés une à la suite de l’autre mais qui ne sont pas reliés dans un narration d’ensemble. Malgré cela, il y a des idées intéressantes, et une prise de risque qui lui donne son originalité. J’ai aimé la sections biographique de la fin, j’aurais voulu la lire en début pour mieux me mettre en contexte.

[Newly Wardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is this a rehash of 3rd party narratives? Yes. But it's done in a sincere and innovative way. The tortured artist thing is played to maximum effect here but also historical accuracy paints a vivid story as well. Yes this goes into the stories of his career but his beginning is thoroughly explored. His band and SAMO graffiti are often glossed over but IMO necessary components to understanding Basquiat's views on art and collaboration. He seemed to be passionate about art being for everyone and he wanted to be the artist to become famous because of his works accessibility. In a lot of ways I think that's what he accomplished. He had to become more than a graffiti artist because Michael Stewart (a graffiti artist) was murdered by the police. This book really delves into some hard truths about art and our not so distant past. He wasn't always understood even by some closest to him. Was it drugs or childhood injury that created a manic need for expression, I dont know. Although those answers are not in this book, an appreciation for his unique outlook is included. (and done very well)

[Rohan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fictionalized surreal biography of Basquiat that chronicles his life via snatches of dialogue between him and his inner demons (represented by one of his paintings), and flashbacks. Deals with drug abuse, broken families, racism, self-destructiveness and much more. The book is short and best read (in my opinion) in a single sitting — like a drug hit. And it actually does feel like one, to its detriment. The incidents in the book are decontextualized and disconnected. Flip a few pages and suddenly Basquiat's sleeping with a different woman, and at a different stage in his art career. The narrative jumps back and forth in time, making the reader disoriented. A lot of storylines are messily wrapped up or suddenly terminated. The end result was I put down the book feeling unfulfilled. The artwork was neat, but there wasn't much of a story to take away.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing, disjointed examined life of Basquiat. He deserves a better retelling of his life.

[Debo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like, the style was interesting and engaging, so props to the illustrator more than anyone, but this reads like it was written with zero love for its subject. The afterword makes it seem like that wasn't the intention, but the text itself is very unkind to Basquiat in that it fashiones him to be a careless asshole, a womanizer, and first and foremost a junkie. The decision to frame his life story by his overdose feels almost distasteful. Through the constant emphasis on his drug use and portrayed unhinged behaviour and hallucinogenic perception, the moments the book-Basquiat touches on race seem so patronising and make it look like the white people he accuses of racism are savvy businesspeople and he were simply unreasonable. I'm sure his drug use affected his art and relationships and he wasn't kind and wonderful all the time (who is), but this read like an unfavourable one-dimensional caricature of a man caught in so many in-betweens that demand complexity, nuance and care - and I was severely let down.

CNs for drug use and addiction (heroine, cocaine, grass, speedballs), mental illness, hallucinations, being unhoused, racism

[Petergiaquinta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dunno much about Basquiat,
Beyond the drugs and the wild haircut;
Dunno much about the tag Samo
Dunno much about that creepy Grillo.

But I do know that life wasn't much kind,
And the drugs they went and ruined his mind,
But I was hoping this comic would tell me more.
Yeah, I was hoping it'd give me a whole lot more.

I know, I know, I shouldn't expect a graphic novel to make up for decades of ignorance, and there are plenty of other resources I could and should go to if I want to expand my knowledge of Jean-Michel Basquiat. However, I was just expecting to get a lot more here. And frankly, while the art is great and I love how Basquiat's griot figure steps off the wall to interact with him, the narrative here just doesn't come together very well.

I do like the cameos from Keith Haring and Madonna and all the other Lower East Side hipsters who pop in and out of the storyline. But if you're hoping to gain any real insight into this interesting figure from the early '80s New York scene, you'll need to look elsewhere.

+++++++++++++++
Christmas gift from my brother

[Jessie Summers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the fastest graphic novel I’ve ever read, for a few reasons - IMO most graphic novels in one of two categories; overly explained by the dialogue of the story, or no dialogue at all and it’s purely visual. This one leaned more towards the latter but would give some bits of conversation to half-heartedly link scenes. It’s interesting that it gives a racing feel to his life and experiences through the quickly drawn style, but if you actually wanted to learn “who was Basquiat” this isn’t the book I’d pick up. It’s probably best if you read either before or after this book a short summary of his life events to piece together some of the quicker scenes and struggles. Reading the last page which identifies the drawn people within the book helps/helped, but can only go so far.

And for what it’s worth, I liked the black inner demon/critic/conscious that followed him around. An interesting way to link some of his behaviors.

I want to read another book in this “art masters” series and see how they compare. They seem to also have Picasso, Van Gogh, Warhol, Dali, Rembrandt, etc

[Charlie Egon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mein Wissen über Basquiat hielt sich bisher in Grenzen, deswegen wollte ich durch dieses Graphic Novel gerne mehr über ihn lernen. 

Julian Voloj umreißt, eingebettet in dessen Sterbeszene, das kurze und intensive Leben von Basquiat, mit Fokus auf seiner Zeit in der New Yorker Kunstwelt der 1980er. Søren Mosdal erweckt diese Geschichte zum Leben. Sein Stil passt an sich ganz gut zu Basquiats Vitalität und Unangepasstheit, teilweise waren mir die Figuren aber mit zu viel karrikativer Härte skizziert. Außerdem hätte ich mir neben den Bildern noch viel mehr Text gewünscht, um den Personen und Basquiats Entwicklung besser folgen zu können. Es bleibt alles sehr episodenartig uns bruchstückhaft. Leider habe ich dann aus dem abschließenden Begleittext und Personenregister mehr über Basquiat gelernt, als aus den vorangegangen hundert Seiten Graphic Novel. 

Insofern - ein schönes Buch zum Durchblättern, mit nicht ganz so viel inhaltlichen Gehalt, das Lust auf mehr Beschäftigung mit dem Künstler macht!

[Louis Pigeon-Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might be giving this a star more than I should, purely for Baquiat's fascinating life. Snorting cocaine off a Picasso, influencing the New York hip-hop, jazz and graffiti scene in the 70s and 80s, continuously striving for self-reinvention all whilst being pursued by his Gray's Anatomy art demon of an imaginary companion makes for a helluva biography. The drug trips are intoxicating to look at and mimicking Jean Michelle's art style to recount his life is its own little corner of spectacular.

That said, Basquiat would have benefited from at least another hundred pages (I know that's greedy), but the graphic novel suffered from pacing issues, overly condensing key moments, painting integral characters in broad strokes and giving hardly any insight into his actual art, methodology or style, something that was done so well in other Art Masters books like Munch.

[Thurston Hunger · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy, breezy look at Basquiat. Decided to request Paolo Parisi's book after skimming through this. I

After seeing some his work this summer at the Broad, really want to know more about the artist. This book sort connects the dots on celebrities and makes a shout about "graffiti artist" vs "artist." Depicts Basquiat's art icons as vexing or playful demons.

An intriguing mention of Basquiat's father coming to a gallery, creates a dichotomy that might merit a few more pages. Maybe I should read an actual book on him, but the book caught my eye. And I like seeing artists influence if not in strict focus in graphic novels.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm ashamed to confess that I'm quite late in my discovery of Jean-Marie Basquiat. This graphic novel was an okay introduction, using a hazy deathbed reflection as a way to tell a racing story of Basquiat's short life. Although I enjoyed the illustrator's style and the graphic novel approach in general, I found this biography to be a rushed and somewhat flat depiction of a brilliant life. Now that I have some of the basics covered, I'll be looking mostly to Basquiat's art and other books to give me a fuller picture.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artistically this graphic novel is bold and daring. As a narrative, it was terribly sad. I am a fan of Basquiat and would have preferred a more developed narrative and characters. All of Basquiat's famous associates are here: Warhol, Debbie Harry, Madonna, et al. But I felt like Jean Michel himself was portrayed too simplistically. Still fans who don't know his life story will at least have a broad if not tragic sense of it

[ez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Semifiktiivinen englanninkielinen sarjakuvaelämäkerta Jean-Michel Basquiatista. Painottaa Basquiatin elämää huumeiden ja seksin osalta, ei niinkään hänen taidettaan – mitä kyllä odotin käsiteltävän syvällisemmin. Kuvituksensa puolesta yllätyksellinen ja kiehtova (kuvitus Søren Mosdal), mutta kerronnallisesti melko mielikuvituksetonta ja ajoittain kömpelöä luettavaa.

Kuvitus/illustrations 4/5
Teksti/script 2/5

[Maura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Basquiat’s art and was excited to read this graphic novel. The artwork is fabulous, and I enjoyed the visual aspect very much. However, the storyline was lacking. It felt like a storyboard that never was developed, and I found myself feeling unengaged with the narrative. I think this may have benefited from choosing a part of his life as the main focus, and developing that more deeply. Still enjoyed reading it, simply hoped for more depth.

[Yasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read many comics but this one left me slightly perplexed. I was expecting delving slightly deeper into Basquiat's craft but instead we got some snippets of his life, some of which seeming extremely irrelevant to our understanding of him as a person. However, the illustrations were absolutely wonderful and I cannot fault them. I just wished the plot was maybe a little more thought out.

[Romana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a little bit superficial and too abbreviating in dealing with the events of Jean-Michel's life, making him out to be an angry junkie when he was never only that. But the style of the comic was nice and if you only want the very short version of how he became what he was (and still is) this is a good start.

[Shelly Brewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very frantic and hard to follow, which I guess was supposed to be like Basquiat’s life?! The books art work was the best part. The writing was somehow lacking. I wish I could have gained some insight into the world of Basquiat. Instead I felt like I was being taken quickly from one amusement park ride to the next and getting a little nauseous along the way.

[Luka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fantastic art style, and a really fascinating depiction of New York in the 70s and 80s. I liked that the narrative was relatively sparse; it felt more true to life, rather than being packed with fabricated non-stop action for the sake of narrative. And I appreciated that it didn't completely focus on Basquiat's relationship with Warhol. I really enjoyed this.

[eL* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Toll gezeichnet, aber von dem Künstler selbst, seinen Hintergründen oder der Gedankenwelt des Künstlers bekommt man keinen Eindruck.
Die Graphic Novel legt den Fokus ausschließlich auf die Drogensucht des Künstlers und auf Sex. Das wird wohl kaum die Quelle seines künstlerischen Schaffens gewesen sein.