Jean-Michel Basquiat is one of the best known artists of his generation and is widely considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His works are edgy and raw, and through a bold sense of color and composition, he maintains a fine balance between seemingly contradictory forces such as control and spontaneity, menace and wit, urban imagery and primitivism.
The conjunction of various media is an integral element of Basquiat’s art. His paintings are typically covered with text and codes of all kinds: words, letters, numerals, pictograms, logos, map symbols, diagrams and more, and featured multi-panel paintings and individual canvases with exposed stretcher bars, the surface dense with writing, collage and imagery.
The Blackwing 57 is a tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat and his boundary-pushing art. The number 57 is a reference to 57 Great Jones Street in New York City, where Basquiat created some of his best-known works.
The Volume 57 pencil contains Blackwing's soft graphite and is sold as a set of 12.
Made in: Japan
Materials:California cedar, graphite, metal ferrule, elastomer eraser
Specifications: 8" long each; box of 12
Further Reading: Every pencil is made of graphite and wood. Only Blackwing pencils combine the best graphite in the world, the best wood in the world, and generations of craftsmanship to create an exceptional pencil. When you’re looking for the perfect pencil to write a song, sketch a landscape, or brainstorm a business idea, look for Blackwing’s distinct rectangular eraser.
Blackwing's Volumes packs are released quarterly and feature limited edition pencils that celebrate the people, places and events that have defined our creative culture over time.
View our entire collection of Blackwing pencils and accessories here.
Read about the rebirth of the iconic Blackwing pencil in "Back in Blackwing", The New Yorker.
