Jean Michael-Basquiat’s apartment is now for sale — if you can spare $60,000 a month
The apartment where Basquiat lived and worked in from 1983 until his death in 1988 is now for sale in New York. 57 Great Jones Street is available at the price of $60,000 a month, boasting a legacy of great artistic and cultural significance.
Basquiat rented the second floor space from friend Warhol not long after they first met, and produced some of his most significant work within the walls of the converted stable. Warhol originally purchased the building in 1970, and with it already came a rich history. It was originally constructed in the 1860s and purchased by the notorious criminal gangster Paolo Antonio Vaccerelli (Paul Kelly), who turned it into the Brighton Athletic Club in 1904. It was then used as a metal works business and kitchen supply company until 1970 where Warhol transformed it into an artist residence.
Village Preservation in conjunction with Two Boots Pizza hung up a plaque in 2016 on the building amidst the street art that covered the walls — a tagged tribute from the public to remember the artist who started his career as part of graffiti duo SAMO.
The plaque reads “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.”
Most recently, the building was home to the Japanese restaurant Bohemian and is now listed under the Meridian Capital Group. They describe it as an “open loft space with high ceilings and multiple skylights”.
But clearly, the $51,000 rent plus $9,000 taxes is not for its architectural features, but for the immense work and influence of the great artist who lived there.
