This landmark volume tells the story of Jean-Michel Basquiat from the intimate perspective of his family, intertwining his artistic endeavors with his personal life, influences, and the times in which he lived, and features for the first time work from the Estate’s largely unseen and significant collection of paintings, drawings, sketches, and ephemera.

Organized by the family of Basquiat, the exhibition and accompanying catalogue feature over 200 never before and rarely seen paintings, drawings, ephemera, and artifacts. The artist’s contributions to the history of art and his exploration into our multi-faceted culture—incorporating music, the Black experience, pop culture, African American sports figures, literature, and other sources—are showcased alongside personal reminiscences and firsthand accounts providing unique insight into Basquiat’s creative life and his singular voice that propelled the social and cultural narrative that continues to this day.
 
 Structured around key periods in his life, from his childhood and formative years, his meteoric rise in the art world and beyond, to his untimely death, the book features in-depth interviews with his surviving family members.

About The Author

Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux are the sisters of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and along with Nora Fitzpatrick, the artist’s stepmother, they run the Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Ileen Gallagher is a curator and producer. Formerly a curator at De Young Museum in San Francisco and the Queens Museum of Art, New York, she also served as Director of Exhibitions for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.