UWM Libraries Special Collections

Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat: and The Art of Storytelling was edited by Hans Werner Holzwarth and was published in 2018 in Cologne, Germany by TASHEN. This very large, very heavy art book contains several high-quality color reproductions of Basquiat’s art and includes an essay by art historian and curator Eleanor Nairne.

Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) was born in Brooklyn, New York and died 27 years later in the same city. Basquiat is one of the most well-known contemporary artists of our time; right next to his friend, Andy Warhol (who he collaborated with on the tenth image). Despite dying young, Basquiat’s artistic career is expansive—his paintings and sketches number in the hundreds, each in the unique style that made him sought after. He was first invited to appear in New York/New Wave in 1981 by Mudd Club co-founder Diego Cortez. From there, Basquiat’s career would take off, and he began to appear in galleries throughout the country. Many publications and articles reference his time graffitiing under the name SAMO. However, Basquiat himself rejected this, stating that he was not a graffiti artist. Despite this, it has become a part of his legacy and is used to highlight his role in the “underground” art scene before breaking out into the public sphere. Today the name SAMO is synonymous with Basquiat; along with his iconic crown, his apparent fascination with bones, and the footprints he left behind on his prints.

Much of his art references his experience as a Black man in America and his Afro-Caribbean heritage. His art mixes drawn figures with fragments of phrases, speeches, and words. Some art historians have compared Basquiat’s style to being almost childlike in the way he sketches; however, I think this is a simplistic way of looking at his art especially when considering the subjugation and systematic oppression of Black Americans he often represents in his art.

Following the death of Andy Warhol, Basquiat’s drug use increased and he overdosed in 1988. We do not know how his art would have further evolved, but his approach to art continues to inspire new artists.

–Olivia, Special Collections Art History Field Worker

Farewell Friday: For Max

By Jody Williams, In Here Out There is a 1998 book from her Flying Paper Press. It is structured in one of her characteristic tiny boxes, and is made up of three distinct parts. The top opens up with a ladder to a window, and there are two separate chapters titled respectively “In Here” and “Out There”. This book is one of our most utilized items in our book arts collection, and is one of Max’s favorites. It demonstrates in a concise and beautiful way the possibilities of structure in the book arts, and demands that the reader consider not just the text of the book, but the book as a medium.

This was the first Jody Williams book that Max showed me when I visited Special Collections and sparked the curiosity that led me to look at all of her works in our collection. Williams’ artistic precision and contemplative subject matter drew me in and really made me want to explore the rest of our book arts collection. Similarly, Max’s enthusiasm and knowledge of Special Collections has always been rooted in the encouragement to explore, to be curious, and most importantly, to play.

-Elizabeth, Special Collections Graduate Intern

Farewell Friday: For Max

On Max’s last day in Special Collections, I wanted to highlight two things (among many) that I learned from him: to treat this library work as play, and to always pay attention to the medium itself.

In tribute to his spirit of play, I’m highlighting several irreverent poems by Felicia Lamport (1916-1999) from her 1961 collection Scrap Irony, published by Houghton Mifflin out of Boston. With illustrations by Edward Gorey (1925-2000), Lamport jokes and rhymes her way through maxims, warnings, and responses to news.

Here she advises us to retain our youthfulness, and to defy the “thinking machines.”

Many thanks to Max for this opportunity, and for sticking around Milwaukee.

--Amanda, Special Collections Graduate Intern

Surreal Saturday: Max Ernst

Max Ernst, by Irish author and photographer Edward Quinn (1920–1997), was published in Paris by Éditions Cercle d'art in 1976. Ernst and Quinn worked very closely together on this book, resulting in a work that is autobiographical, with images of its 400 paintings, collages, prints, and drawings personally approved by Ernst. Additional essays are provided by noted art historians Uwe M. Schneede and Diane Waldman, and by art critic and surrealist specialist Patrick Waldberg.

Max Ernst’s (1891-1976) artistic career can be traced through multiple styles and eras. When he first began to draw, his stylistic expression seemed to take greater inspiration from Expressionism. After fighting in World War I, Ernst, like many German men who had been on the frontline, came back jaded. Following his return home, he became interested in the Dadaist movement that had begun to form in Germany and established the Cologne Dada group with a few of his friends. Although Ernst was born in Germany, the majority of his artistic career was in Paris, France, moving there in 1922 and leaving his wife and son behind. No longer a Dadaist, Ernst became entrenched in the Surrealist movement and today is remembered as one of the leading Surrealist artists in Paris at the time.

Ernst’s style is dreamlike; the surrealist quality of the figures jumps dramatically from the ethereal to the nightmarish. In one painting, a strange creature dances across a desert landscape—in another the crucifixion of Jesus takes place somewhere dark, jagged, and sharp. The images shared here are only a small sample of Ernst’s work, but the variety in what he creates is impressive. In some, he has fragmented his figures into shapes, constructing the painting like building blocks. For others his human figures are realistic but retain the surrealist features that mark them as Ernst classics. Beside paintings, his works also include sculptures, collages, poetry, and prints.

-Olivia, Special Collections Art History Fieldworker