Jean-Michel Basquiat 1960-1988
Jean-Michel Basquiat was at the height of his career in 1983; he had his second solo show in Los Angeles, was the youngest artist shown in the Whitney Biennial and flew to Zurich later in the year for another solo exhibit. Both he, and his works, were becoming part of the mainstream art world. 1983 was also the year that Basquiat rented 57 Great Jones Street from Andy Warhol. It was where he lived during the last years of his too-short life. The building is now for rent. The asking price is $60,000 a month for a minimum ten year lease.
Built sometime between 1860 and 1868, 57 Great Jones Street housed a furniture store and auction house. Around 1905, it housed the New Brighton Athletic Club, headquarters for gangster Paul Kelly and the Five Points Gang…which Al Capone eventually joined.
Andy Warhol bought the building in 1970, along with a building around the corner, where he rented apartments to artists. Basquiat lived at 57 Great Jones Street from 1983 until his death from a drug overdose in 1988, at age 27. In 2016, the Village Preservation installed a plaque marking Basquiat's time at the Great Jones Street location, which more recently housed the exclusive referral-only Japanese restaurant, Bohemian.
The plaque reads: From 1983 to 1988 renowned artist Jean-Michel Basquiat lived and worked here, a former stable owned by friend and mentor Andy Warhol. Basquiat's paintings and other work challenged established notions of high and low art, race and class, while forging a visionary language that defied characterization. To this day, fans of Basquiat paint graffiti on the building's facade.
It was in 57 Great Jones Street that Basquiat created some of his finest work. He did a dynamic set of Superheroes paintings, which have been produced in a screenprint series, available at Surovek Gallery.
Music played an important role in Basquiat's life and work. An exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts explores the music he played, the music he listened to, the musicians and musical symbols that influenced his art.
Seeing Out Loud: Basquiat and Music was organized in collaboration with the Musée de la Musique-Philharmonie de Paris. Visitors can download a Basquiat and Music app, in English or French, that transports visitors into New York of the 1970s and 1980s, to enhance the experience of the exhibit.
Seeing Out Loud: Basquiat and Music will be on exhibit through February 19, 2023.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat available at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Moll Enking. You Can Rent Jean-Michel Basquiat's Apartment and Art Studio-For $60,000. Smithsonian Magazine. November 14, 2022.
Dean Balsamini. Basquiat's former NYC studio renting for $60K-a-month. New York Post. November 12, 2022.
Jasmine Liu. For $60K a Month, You Can Now Rent Basquiat's Former Home. Hyperallergic. November 10, 2022.
Sheryl. Gangsters and Artists on Great Jones Street. Off the Grid/Village Preservation Blog. January 5, 2012.
Neil Price. Jean-Michel Basquiat: Beyond the Myth. Ocula. November 9, 2022.
Chris Milholen. Nets unveil 2022-23 City Edition Uniform: White Basquiat-Inspired. NetsDaily. November 10, 2022.
