Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Making of an Icon

‘Basquiat’s work speaks with urgency and raw emotion – but what happens to an artist after they’re gone? Doug Woodham traces the extraordinary evolution of Basquiat’s legacy, exploring the art world’s gatekeepers, the commercialization of his image, and the deeper truths often left out of his story’ - Nia DaCosta, writer/director of the films Little Woods, Candyman, The Marvels and Hedda‘Jean-Michel Basquiat filled his canvases with iconic images drawn from Black history and culture, inscribed with stream-of-consciousness intensity. Doug Woodham’s biography vividly brings to life Basquiat’s childhood, meteoric rise, and tragically brief career; then pulls back the curtain on the long, slow process by which curators and collectors recognized his stature as a towering figure in contemporary art’ - Pepe Karmel, Professor, Department of Art History and Institute of Fine Arts, New York University‘Doug Woodham delivers a meticulously researched portrait of Basquiat, whose influence has long outlived his brief life. This clear-eyed account charts the artist’s ascent, the forces that shaped his legacy, and the champions who helped secure his place in the cultural canon’ - Bonnie Brennan, CEO, Christie’s‘Few artists have transcended the boundaries of high art and mainstream culture as completely as Jean-Michel Basquiat. In The Making of an Icon, Doug Woodham expertly dissects the mechanisms that propelled Basquiat’s work into the cultural and commercial stratosphere’ - Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School professor of marketing and leading expert on the business of sports, media, and entertainment

Doug Woodham is the Managing Partner of Art Fiduciary Advisors, a New York-based firm focused on providing advice on the financial aspects of owning and selling fine art. He most recently served as President of the Americas for Christie’s and is the author of the bestselling book Art Collecting Today: Market Insights for Everyone Passionate about Art.