Few names across art history will inspire complete familiarity in even the most casual of art enthusiasts. Jean-Michel Basquiat is one such name. Throughout his short yet storied life (he died in 1988, at 27 years old), Basquiat engineered one of the world’s most recognizable styles, combining graffiti, illustration, and abstract expressionism into a highly contemporary art form. But even with his diverse output, Basquiat often returned to one subject in particular: the human head. Now, publishing house No More Rulers will explore that exact motif through an oversized collector’s volume.
Across its 75 pages, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Head—The Mind offers an indelible glimpse into the artist’s various portraits. Inside, we encounter a skeletal profile whose grimace reveals yellow teeth; a bust rendered in black and blue, its head completed with a crown; someone with an intense, almost menacing smile, chuckling and hissing into their hand; and a face so red and furious it resembles a ripe tomato. Each image betrays Basquiat’s preference for explosive, gestural linework and unsettling, graphic figures—but, this time, we see only the head stripped away from any extraneous information. In that way, there’s a sense of clarity in these compositions, where it feels as though we can trace every stroke made by the artist.
Interspersing the volume are excerpts from interviews and other primary sources, all of which “delve into the logic of [Basquiat’s] bold color, energy, and cryptic symbolism,” according to the publisher. In one quote, for instance, Basquiat explains that “a lot of the figures in my paintings are self-portraits and some of them are just my friends,” adding more intimacy to the featured artworks. Another quote illuminates the artist’s references: “I went out and bought some books that were about anatomy. I’m not really imitating [them]. I use them as a source material.”
The Head—The Mind also includes an introduction by Sophia Heriveaux, Basquiat’s niece. In her text, Heriveaux considers why, exactly, her uncle was so compelled by the human body and face, and how they related to his larger practice.
“As we dive into these heads created by Jean-Michel, let us remember that we are exploring a fellow human mind,” Heriveaux writes. “This recognition has a dual impact. On the one hand, it enables him to climb down from his pedestal. On the other, it celebrates his achievement of distilling our world through his ‘new mind.’”
To enhance its subject matter, The Head—The Mind is also meticulously designed. The volume features a faux leather cover with a tipped-in image, black endpapers and book block, a ribbon bookmark, and clocks in at a trim size of 11 by 15 inches. Taken in its entirety, the edition is intended to provoke thought and curiosity, both inside and out.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Head—The Mind will be published on November 25, 2025. The book is currently available for preorder via Bookshop and the No More Rulers website.
An upcoming art book published by No More Rulers will explore Jean-Michel Basquiat’s enduring fascination with the human head.
Across its 75 pages, Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Head—The Mind considers why the subject was so prevalent throughout the artist’s practice.
Throughout, readers will have a unique glimpse into Basquiat’s philosophy surrounding human faces, his artistic output, and the mind.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Head—The Mind will be published on November 25, 2025.
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