Basquiat: The Modena Paintings

During his first solo exhibition in Europe in 1982, Jean-Michel Basquiat created a series of large-format paintings that marked a significant transition from graffiti spraying to painting on canvas. This catalogue reunites these masterpieces for the first time, showcasing Basquiat's artistic growth and significance.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 120 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2023
Publisher: Hatje Cantz

Numerous publications and exhibitions have examined Jean-Michel Basquiat's extensive oeuvre, consisting of over 3000 works. This catalogue, however, focuses on eight paintings only. In the summer of 1982, Basquiat traveled to Modena, Italy, for one of his first solo exhibitions in Europe at the gallery of Emilio Mazzoli. Within just a few days, he painted a group of large-format paintings that surpassed his previous work in terms of scale. Each measuring at least two by four meters, they marked the transition from graffiti spraying in the streets of Manhattan to painting on canvas. At the same time, they reflected an artist coming into his own. The paintings, including masterpieces that today are considered pivotal and among the most outstanding of his oeuvre, have never been shown together. This catalogue revisits this crucial moment of Basquiat's career some 40 years ago and reunites them for the first time.

Weight: 680g
Dimension: 270 x 235 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783775755092