An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
Before I picked up this graphic novel I knew absolutely nothing about Jean-Michel Basquiat. I am torn about whether I want to learn more or just end my inquiry here—and I am not sure if that’s the fault of Basquiat himself or this author.
The narrative skips around between perspective of folks that knew him and Jean-Michel himself. The narrative jumps are so choppy, I often found myself flipping back the page to make sure I didn’t accidentally skip some pages. As you might have guessed, I was not a fan of this style as I felt it distracted from the story.

The art was enjoyable- bright colors clashing together. The palate was primary colors, plus a bright green. I love how the colors entangle, sometimes in shapes, layered on top of the illustrations instead of staying within the lines. I thought some of the most visually stunning pieces were the depictions of Hawaii later in the book.

As far as the story of Basquiat himself—caught in the chaos of the art world of New York City in the 80s. Without exploring intent, motivations, feelings regarding the art, we are left with a dull account of his life. And in this retelling, everything feels rather distant. I didn’t have much sympathy for the artist as he came off rather heartless (who calls a suicide hotline, as a sort of prank(?), just to make a song out of it?). But the author does manage to invoke a despair that seems to be lingering with Basquiat. I could almost feel the nihilism coming off the pages. Unfortunately, this was about all I got. From the little research I have done on the artist, there is more to explore. This is not all there is to his story, and I feel like I was not provided an opportunity to really get inside the head of Basquiat to see why everything shakes out the way it does.

This is a very short read with amazing art, the colors and drawings perfectly complementing each other.
I found this story not to be perfect to a digital medium, too big for just a pixilated screen.
Other than that it was obvious that the author made a lot of research and I liked the way he told this story, principally the way he ended it, that as my favorite part.

Paolo Parisi's graphic memoir of Jean Michel Basquiat is divided into sections based on the people and events that were most significant in the artist's life. The memoir is informative and a good place to start to have a glimpse into the life of Basquiat, which is what I was looking for. Basquiat wanted to make art that was available to the masses, but his talent took him to the pinnacle of the Pop Art World, rising quickly. It appeared from this memoir that he really wanted to connect with his father, but his father never replied to him. Sadly, his life ends suddenly as a result of drug intoxication, but it was if he knew it was imminent, "man dies, man dies". 5 stars for this graphic memoir. Thank you #netgalley.

This is a beautiful biography of Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of my favourite artists.

Parisi has used key colours in wondrous ways to wander throughout Basquiat's life, as told through the voices of his father, a former agent, a former lover, and others. His life is told in a jazzy, free-flowing sensibility that, to me, perfectly matches Basquiat's life and art.

Aspects of Basquiat's life that are perhaps not very attractive, for example his vanity, drug abuse, and flip ways, are on display in ways that are just as well put as the rest of this book is.

The colours sting, in a great way, while Parisi's style of writing and storytelling is just as beautiful as his drawing and painting.

This is one of the best biographical graphic novels that I've ever had the pleasure to read.

Through multiple perspectives from interview, notes, journals & from those that knew Basquiat, Illustrator Paolo Parisi was able to tell us the brief life story of Jean-Michel Basquiat in color. I a bit about Basquiat life and when Parisi used yellow, red, green and blue through this graphic novel I saw this as his way of paying homage to a great artist gone to soon. Basquiat used these colors in his art which represented power, transgression and elegance. Such a refreshing read. Thanks to Netgalley and Laurence King Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The graphic novel is the perfect medium to tell this story. From the perspective of Jean-Michele and those who knew him best, we see his whole life: his childhood and the accident that introduced him to the macabre, the development of SAMO, his love life, his friendship with Andy Warhol, and his relationship with drugs.

Visually, this graphic novel is stunning. The choice of a primary color palette with green was smart, as Basquiat himself used that palette. It gave it an overall eeriness and sense of impending tragedy.

I don’t read many graphic novels, so I’m not sure if the writing is typical. It did feel a little dumbed down, but maybe I’m just not familiar enough with the genre. At the same time, I feel like you would need a general understanding of who Basquiat was to fully appreciate this graphic novel.

This book was fantastic. I love the use of the graphic novel format to tell the story of a visual artist. The art was reminiscent of Basquiat's art with the use of primary colors and simplistic line art. This would be a great book for reluctant readers or artistic students.

The graphic novel chronicles the rise of Jean Michel Basquiat as artist and public figure in 1980's New York City. It's told from the perspective of the artist's father and then other people who knew him. The artwork is bright and visually compelling, but the people telling the story create a distance from the artist that feels far too cold. I didn't come away feeling like I knew more about the artist or his motivations.

Basquiat died from a drug overdose, but we don't get any real insight into why he started using drugs in the first place and why he continued to use them.

I'm trying to see him as a sympathetic character or get some real insight into why he was elevated when many other artists weren't during the time, and I don't get it from this piece.

I'd add it in my school library though, because art history books can be unbearably dry. This is not that. Although, it does have some nudity so you may want to keep it out of middle school libraries.

Basquiat, a new graphic novel detailing the artist’s life, bursts with color on every page, giving us a wildly eccentric look at one of the most original artists to hit the art scene. It’s a quick read that shows us the rise and early demise of this extremely talented man. The pages come to life, mirroring his colorful and abstract style. The story isn’t straightforward, jumping between account of people who knew him, sporadic moments from his life, and recreations of his cultural milestones. It can be difficult to follow but it mirrors his sporadic art in a way. Through it all, we see an artist who is driven to create, who finds fame quickly and begins to crumble under the expectations. It’s an extremely real account, giving us essential insights into this important figure.

The graphic novel’s artwork is most impressive, which is to be expected given the source material. The artist uses every color in the book, overwhelming the senses with out-of-this-world colorations and styles. The story shifts from brilliant comic panels to written accounts, from recreated scenes to recreated magazines. It’s an impressive feat, filled with loads of creativity.

Overall, Basquiat is an eccentric read that gives us a glimpse into the life of one of the most energetic artists of our time. He bared his soul in every work and the world devoured every piece. Watching his rise and downfall is both awe-inspiring and tragic. He’s an artist few can match, and I appreciated this look into his brilliance.

Article to be published on 5/13: https://reviewsandrobots.com/2019/05/13/basquiat-book-review

This graphic novel narrates the life of the artist Basquiat,from his childhood to his tragical death, through the eyes of his father,his partner and Basquiat himself.

I particularly appreciated the choice of the colours’ palette chosen by Paolo Parisi:yellow,red,green and blue.These striking colours were used by Basquiat himself in his works and represent power,transgression and elegance.
The use of recreated notebook pages gives an edgy twist to the graphic novel and they make it even more interesting.

I truly recommend this book not only for art lovers but for everyone wanting to know more about Basquiat.Despite his premature death,he has been influencing culture and art for the past decades.This graphic novel is a great way to know more about the person and his rise and fall though fame,success and art through amazing amazing illustrations and precise descriptions.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I was provided this graphic novel (as an advanced reader copy) by NetGalley. All views expressed in this review are my own.

Anyone interested in art or art history needs to get their hands on this graphic novel as soon as it hits shelves on May 13, 2019. I first learned about Jean-Michel Basquiat in my AP Art History class in Senior year of high school, and I was struck by his creativity and his influence on the contemporary art world. Despite passing away decades ago, his art still impacts the art world today.

This graphic novel was a fantastic way to tell Basquiat's life story. Through multiple perspectives (from his father, to his partner, to Basquiat himself) and interviews focusing on Basquiat's life and works, I was truly able to understand the circumstances of his life while still remaining oblivious of the true meaning of his work. I think that the true meaning is open to interpretation, as Basquiat himself says "I don't know how to describe my work in any other way. It's like asking Miles Davis, 'How does your trumpet sound?'"

The art style and color choices of this graphic novel were instrumental at making it as impactful as it is. Rather than try to recreate Basquiat's unique and impossible-to-replicate style, Paolo Parisi uses bright colors and minimal shading, with reds and greens and blues bleeding together to form the story of Basquiat's life. The framing of the novel—beginning with Jean-Michel's childhood and then returning to his pivotal accident at the end of the novel—creates a balance. Readers are sure to know Basquiat's fate from before the first page of this graphic novel, but this repetition as well as the repetition of common elements throughout (such as the constant claim of Basquiat being taken advantage of by others) takes the cacophony of Basquiat's life and art and makes it accessible to the everyday person, who could never truly understand what it must have been like to be Basquiat. This graphic novel highlights the genius as well as the struggle of the art world and making it big.

Even if you are not already a fan of Basquiat, this graphic novel is sure to resonate with you about not only his life but human existence as a whole. Basquiat wanted to make something of himself (perhaps fulfilling the American Dream that so many reach for) and make something of himself he did. Despite his death at the young age of 27, derailing a possibly lengthy career in art, Basquiat is still as influential in death as he was in life. I cannot stress this enough: do yourself a favor and pick this graphic novel up.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Paolo Parisi did an amazing job.
This graphic novel tells briefly the life of the artist Basquiat throughout illustrations with bright and clashing colours. And I think that what makes the difference are indeed these amazing illustrations which evokes Basquiat's art. It was all very interesting.
This is a must-read for art lovers.

A delightful rendering of the genius of Jean-Michel Basquiat's tragically short life.

The art here is top notch, I was particularly impressed by the color palette, which was perhaps the most evocative of its subject that I have ever encountered in a graphic novel.

While the wording and text structure was banal, I didn't consider it problematic, and the author did well articulating both the beauty and tragedy of Basquiat's life.

A must read for both art lovers in the traditional sense and those who consider the graphic novel an art form.

I’ll start by saying that I don’t know a lot about art, but I know that I love it and that I admire people who can commit their vision to a canvas (of any kind).
Rendered in bright, clashing color, this graphic novel is a brief biography of Basquiat. Very little time is spent on his childhood; we see his introduction to Gray’s Anatomy (the book), which influenced his art.
Speaking of which, we don’t actually see a lot of his art. Instead, we get a kind of glimpse into different “periods” of his work: where he was exhibiting, who was mentoring or supporting him, how his work was received. There’s not really a dive into what influenced his art during those time frames, and for a novice, it would be helpful to see how his art changed and developed over time. I don’t think that’s the author’s intent though.
The art world of the early 80s in NYC seemed chaotic and out of control, and Basquiat was right in the middle of it. Like many others in the scene, he died far too young.
As a straightforward account of Basquiat’s life, this is a successful work. It made me want to learn more.