For your Consideration a January 1987 Jean-Michel BASQUIAT ‘WOLKENKRATZER’ (Skyscraper) a German Art Magazine. The Photo was taken in 1986 by Stephen Barker. The photo is iconic and shows a Basquiat towards the end of his life (He would Die several Months later). Basquiat looks haggard, Tired, but Stern…The effects of His addictions taking hold against a background of a Hostile Art World. A visceral image.

Inside: Basquiat Illustrations of works and an Interview in German. Robert Mapplethorpe and Franz Fanon. 1700’s Japanese Erotic Prints. Great Gallery Ads showing the rise of German & International Art Stars (Richard Prince, Rosemarie Tröckel and Albert Oehlen for example).

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N° BM0000130AXX

WOLKENKRATZER, ‘Skyscraper’ magazine emerged in 1983 from the publication Skyscraper - Frankfurt Cultural Advertisements, which appeared from 1982 to 1983 and was distributed free of charge through Frankfurt galleries and museums. From 1983 to 1989, the magazine was published as Skyscraper Art Journal by subscription and through traditional magazine distribution throughout the German-speaking region every two to three months by Soukup, Krauss Verlag, with a most recently sold circulation of ten to twelve thousand copies. The magazine increasingly gained readers in other European countries and also in the American art scene, which is why a summary in English was added from 1986 onwards.

As one of the leading German-language art magazines, the Wolkenkratzer Art Journal dealt with avant-garde and contemporary art in a non-academic manner. In addition to articles and reports on current art topics from the areas of painting, photography, sculpture, video and performance, works from the areas of film, music, theater, fashion and design were also discussed.

The “Magazine of Contemporary Art and Culture” also highlighted the current trends in the art scene with reports from exhibition openings and trade fair events. The scene's activities were illustrated with event photos. The portrait and personal photos of artists and photographers such as Benjamin Katz, Wilhelm Schürmann and Günther Förg, which were published in several issues and shaped the live style character of the journal, were striking.

The journal character of Skyscraper was a novelty for an art magazine. The layout was characterized by a clear, modern design.

The magazine was founded, published and edited by Roman Soukup and Lothar Krauss. From the beginning, internationally active authors were part of the permanent/freelance editorial team. In 1987, Isabelle Graw and Wolfgang Max Faust joined the editorial team as authors, and they took over management towards the end of the publication period. Authors (some with editorial responsibility) wrote for the skyscraper, among others: Christoph Blase, Andreas Kallfelz, Peter Bexte, Wilfried Dickhoff, Pier Luigi Tazzi, Jutta Koether, Walter Grasskamp, Peter Weibel, Klaus Walter, Justin Hoffmann, Donald Kuspit, Sabine B. Vogel, Tom Holert, Thomas Daum and Karlheinz Schmid.

The magazine was discontinued by its publisher in 1989. In the editorial of the last issue, Wolfgang Max Faust pointed out the “sudden increase in reader numbers last year”. The title rights were bought by Gruner + Jahr and used by art – Das Kunstmagazin, which temporarily still had the reference in the subtitle (as “The art magazine with skyscraper art journal”) and still uses the title inscription in art's imprint today.