Basquiat: Headstrong
Regular price $ 45.00by Anders Kold (Editor), Kaspar Thormod (Editor), Jean-Michel Basquiat (Artist), Poul Erik Tøjner (Foreword), Hilton Als (Contributor)
Using the head as a site of investigation, Basquiat's frenetic drawings of faces are at once immediate and contemplative
Between 1981 and 1983, Jean-Michel Basquiat made between 50 and 100 drawings of heads. Working with oil stick on paper, he created a series far removed from his public paintings and collages filled with words and symbols―a more concentrated, private study whose pieces are rarely exhibited and seldom offered for sale. Stripped of external references, they read as intimate meditations on identity, perception and the fragile balance between presence and disappearance.
Bringing this exceptional group together for the first time in decades in an oversize folio, Headstrong sheds new light on a lesser-known aspect of Basquiat's practice. Essays by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Hilton Als and artists including George Condo and Julie Mehretu explore the drawings' formal invention and psychological intensity, showing how Basquiat transformed the head into a vessel for everything he was thinking and feeling―a space where imagination, history and lived experience converge.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960–88) is one of the most successful Black visual artists in history, despite his brief career. He emerged on the New York City arts scene in the late 1970s and quickly skyrocketed to international fame, becoming one of the most important artists of his generation. Basquiat's work and legacy continue to influence popular culture, especially art, music and fashion.
Dimensions: 9.02 x 0.67 x 12.99 inches
Pages: 132
Hardcover
All items indicated as gifts are wrapped in high-quality gift wrap before placement in secure packaging for shipping.
NOTE: To request gift wrapping for part or all of any order, please add this item to your cart prior to checking out. During checkout you can specify any additional gift wrapping instructions.
You can now pre-order you favorite local artists' handcrafted work directly from the Princeton University Art Museum Store!
Provide your name and contact information, as well as a brief description of the piece you are interested in. Please allow time for us to coordinate with our artists on the production and delivery of your custom order. We will be in contact with you as soon as possible.