Basquiat: A Graphic Novel (Biography of a Great Artist; Graphic Memoir)

...a beautifully illustrated hardcover book... Inside you'll find the story of Basquiat's life relayed in a quick-to-read, visually dazzling fashion. - Forbes.com

Cool, talented, and transgressive, Jean-Michel Basquiat's life is just as fascinating as the work he produced. Delve into 1980s New York as this vivid graphic novel takes you on Basquiat's journey from street-art legend SAMO to international art-scene darling, up until his sudden death. Told through cinematic scenes, this is Basquiat as seen through the eyes of those who knew him, including his father, Suzanne Mallouk, Larry Gagosian, and, most importantly, the man himself. Basquiat is a moving depiction of a troubled artist's life for those interested in both the art and the man who made it.

- More Praise for Basquiat: A Graphic Novel -

Loving the shit out of Black culture, Italian illustrator Paolo Parisi is paying homage to some of the most prolific Black artists of the 20th century with a series of graphic novels. Inspired totally by Basquiat's own aesthetic, the graphic novel is depicted through the use of primary and secondary colors - a favorite of JMB's and his contemporaries at the time. Afropunk

Those unfamiliar with Basquiat will eagerly seek out his work upon completion of the book. Booklist

Parisi's visuals are powerful - sometimes jarringly so, as with the image of the artist in chains - and his design choices effective. In other spreads, comics are juxtaposed with facsimile notebook pages of Jean-Michel's writings. It's this type of visual, verbal, textural play that makes the graphic novel an interesting form for the Basquiat story. Hyperallergic

Parisi offers a vibrant biography of iconic New York artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, briefly touching on his childhood and examining how he struggled, achieved fame, and made a lasting legacy in the art world. A mesmerizing account of a creative phenomenon. School Library Journal

In vividly drawn panels of red, electric yellow, green, and indigo, Paolo Parisi's Basquiat makes striking use of the graphic novel medium to immerse readers in the story of how a young graffiti artist from Brooklyn emerged to become one of the rising stars of the 1980s art scene. With searing images and sharp captions that give life to Jean-Michel Basquiat's frenetic drug-fueled creativity, keen sense of irony, and celebrity flare, the author chronicles how the artist parlayed attention-grabbing spray-paint designs clandestinely placed all over downtown New York. The Millions

...an engrossing chronicle of one of the world's most celebrated artists, one gone too soon. The story by Paolo Parisi is heartbreaking, epic and intense. The art by Parisi is very much in the spirit of its subject, giving the reader a surreal kaleidoscopic vision. Altogether, a biography of an artist whose story has not been given justice until now with Parisi's deft hands and vision. Graphic Policy

Author: Paolo Parisi
Publisher: Laurence King
Published: 05/14/2019
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.70h x 6.80w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781786274151


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 06/07/2019 pg. 1
Booklist 07/01/2019 pg. 37

About the Author
Paolo Parisi is an Italian illustrator and cartoonist. He has previously written and illustrated graphic novels on the lives of Billie Holiday and John Coltrane.