From the publisher:
“Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s complex relationship captivated the art world then and now. At a time when Warhol was already world famous and the elder statesman of New York cool, Basquiat was a downtown talent rising rapidly from the graffiti scene. Together, they forged an electrifying personal and professional partnership.
"As a prolific documentarian of his own world, Warhol extensively photographed and wrote of his friendship with Basquiat, all played against the backdrop of 1980s downtown New York City. It reveals not only the emotional depth of their relationship but also its ambiguities, extremities, and complexities.
"Produced in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s estate, this book chronicles the duo’s relationship in hundreds of previously unpublished photographs of Basquiat along with a dynamic cast of characters from Madonna to Grace Jones, Keith Haring to Fela Kuti. The shots are accompanied by entries from the legendary Andy Warhol Diaries, selected collaborative artworks, and extensive ephemera. Touching, intimate, and occasionally sardonic, Warhol on Basquiat is a voyeuristic glimpse into the lives of two of modern art’s brightest stars.”
On Warhol’s photographs, Michael Dayton Hermann told the Guardian: “What is shocking and striking is the honesty of the photographs. Today, with social media we all share our lives online, but we do so in a very managed way, to project an image ... the photographs are brutally honest. When you read Warhol’s text, he can be catty and gossipy. The photos are very similar.”
“Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s complex relationship captivated the art world then and now. At a time when Warhol was already world famous and the elder statesman of New York cool, Basquiat was a downtown talent rising rapidly from the graffiti scene. Together, they forged an electrifying personal and professional partnership.
"As a prolific documentarian of his own world, Warhol extensively photographed and wrote of his friendship with Basquiat, all played against the backdrop of 1980s downtown New York City. It reveals not only the emotional depth of their relationship but also its ambiguities, extremities, and complexities.
"Produced in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s estate, this book chronicles the duo’s relationship in hundreds of previously unpublished photographs of Basquiat along with a dynamic cast of characters from Madonna to Grace Jones, Keith Haring to Fela Kuti. The shots are accompanied by entries from the legendary Andy Warhol Diaries, selected collaborative artworks, and extensive ephemera. Touching, intimate, and occasionally sardonic, Warhol on Basquiat is a voyeuristic glimpse into the lives of two of modern art’s brightest stars.”
On Warhol’s photographs, Michael Dayton Hermann told the Guardian: “What is shocking and striking is the honesty of the photographs. Today, with social media we all share our lives online, but we do so in a very managed way, to project an image ... the photographs are brutally honest. When you read Warhol’s text, he can be catty and gossipy. The photos are very similar.”
22.6 x 30.2 x 3.3 cm | 312 pages | hardcover
American artist Michael Dayton Hermann received his Masters of Fine Arts in 2000 from Hunter College in New York. He has been the Director of Licensing at The Andy Warhol Foundation since 2005 and has released two publications on Warhol through TASCHEN.