The Iconic Relationship Told in Andy Warhol's Words and Pictures

Produced in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation and the heirs of Jean-Michel Basquiat, this book explores the complex personal and professional relationship of the two artists through hundreds of previously unpublished photographs of Basquiat taken by Warhol as well as excerpts from the legendary Andy Warhol Diaries, little-known archival material and examples of the artworks they created together.

Portraits of artists

Jean-Michel Basquiat by Andy Warhol

The complex relationship between Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat has captivated the art world of yesterday and today. Warhol was already world famous and Basquiat, a sort of unofficial ambassador of cool New York, was a downtown talent fast emerging from the graffiti scene. Together they forged an electrifying personal and professional partnership.
Warhol, a prolific documentarian of his own world, photographed and wrote extensively about his friendship with Basquiat against the backdrop of 1980s New York, revealing not only the emotional depth of their relationship but also its ambiguities, differences and complexities.
Produced in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation and the heirs of Jean-Michel Basquiat, this book chronicles the pair's friendship, featuring previously unpublished photographs of Basquiat with a wide range of people from Madonna to Grace Jones and Keith Haring to Fela Kuti. The images are accompanied by entries from the legendary Andy Warhol Diaries, a selection of artworks that Warhol and Basquiat produced together and a wealth of memorabilia. Poignant, intimate and at times even sardonic, Warhol on Basquiat takes a voyeuristic look at the lives of two of modern art's brightest stars.

About the editor

Michael Dayton Hermannes holds an MFA from Hunter College, where he studied art theory with Robert Morris. In addition to his career as a multidisciplinary artist, Hermann is director of licensing, marketing and sales at the Andy Warhol Foundation, where he has undertaken major Warhol projects including collaborations with Calvin Klein, Dior, Comme des Garçons, Supreme, Absolut and Perrier. He conceived and edited the TASCHEN book Warhol on Basquiat, and has also worked closely with TASCHEN on two publications he conceived: Andy Warhol: Polaroids 1958-1987 and Andy Warhol: Seven Illustrated Books 1952-1959.

Publisher: Taschen