Basquiat

A Quick Killing in Art

By: Phoebe Hoban

Narrated by: Ron Butler

New York Times Notable Book

“A smart, crackling chronicle of fast game, the ’80s art market, [and] the attraction of destruction.”— Village Voice

A bold and vivid biography that chronicles the dazzling rise and tragic death of Neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

In less than a decade, Jean-Michel Basquiat went from being a teenage graffiti artist to an international art star. His meteoric rise to fame coincided with the outrageous excess of the heady ’80s art boom. A fixture of the downtown scene, with its explosive mix of music, fashion, art, and drugs, he soon became involved with some of its most celebrated personalities, including Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Madonna.

Basquiat fulfilled that cynical aphorism: Die young and leave a beautiful corpse. But Basquiat did more than that: he left a beautiful corpus. With each passing year, the remarkable energy, perspicacity and originality of his work increases in power.

In a world where Black Lives Matter and the imperative need for diversity are among the driving forces of our time, Basquiat’s success in the 1980s white art world, and his ongoing universal celebrity, have made him a significant role model for generation of artists to come.

From the rise and fall of the graffiti movement, to the East Village art scene, to the art dealers and out-of-control auction houses, Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art, the definitive biography of the young painter, is a vivid portrait of both the artist and his time.

Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art includes 12-14 photographs.

Basquiat and the Art Scene

The author does an excellent job capturing the 1970s-1980s New York art scene. This scene, from graffiti to high-end galleries, becomes a central focus in the book and Basquiat's role in them.
Also described in excellent detail is Basquiat's complex personality: his drug addiction, his exploitation and obsession from others, his poor treatment of some, and his relationship with Andy Warhol and Keith Haring.
My only criticism of the book is the lack of focus and interpretation on the art itself. I would have liked to see more discussion about the paintings. But if you are looking for a book to understand Basquiat himself, it doesn't get any better than A Quick Killing in Art.