Jean-Michel Basquiat author page

Jean-Michel Basquiat biography

Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist from Brooklyn, New York. He first became known in New York City as a graffiti artist, then became associated with 1980s Neo-expressionist painting. His work is connected with arts and photography publishing, including books in which he is named as the artist.

Basquiat collaborated with Al Diaz on enigmatic spray-painted statements under the pseudonym SAMO©. His work later included collages, Xerox art, postcards, performances and music before his career as a painter was established. A 2020 book by Eleanor Nairne and Dieter Buchhart examines his career through performance and places his collaborations in a wider art-historical context.

For young readers, Basquiat’s paintings illustrate Maya Angelou’s poem Life Doesn’t Frighten Me in a 25th-anniversary edition edited by Sara Jane Boyers. That edition was published by Abrams in 2018 and is presented for children aged 7 to 12.

Javaka Steptoe’s picture-book biography Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat introduces children to Basquiat as a young artist in New York City. The book won the Randolph Caldecott Medal and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award in 2017.