This is a survey of the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), a key member of a group of New York artists who used the powerful images of graffiti to create a new expressive language. Published to accompany an exhibition held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, in 1992-93, the book contains illustrations reproducing paintings, drawings, collages, silkscreens, and constructions, many previously unpublished. The text includes essays by Dick Hebdige, Klaus Kertess, Richard Marshall, Rene Ricard, Greg Tate and Robert Farris Thompson. They explore Basquiat's artistic contributions from several perspectives.