The final apartment artist Jean-Michel Basquiat lived in New York City is available to rent. It will cost you just $60,000 per month. And, you must sign a lease for at least 10 years.
The apartment is actually pop art legend Andy Warhol’s former New York studio and apartment, where Basquiat lived and worked from 1983 until his death in 1988. The building is located at 57 Great Jones Street in the Bowery section of Manhattan; Basquiat rented the second floor space from Warhol.
The Artist Named Basquiat
Basquiat rose to fame during the 1980s, starting out as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, with Al Diaz. The two peppered NYC with their cryptic witticisms. By the early 1980s, Basquiat’s paintings, many of them massive, were being exhibited in galleries and museums, not only locally but internationally as well. He was just 22 when he became one of the youngest to exhibit at New York’s revered Whitney Biennial, a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art.
Basquiat died in 1988 from a heroin overdose. He was just 27. Since then, his artwork has skyrocketed in value. His piece “Dustheads” from 1982 sold at Christie’s for over $48 million in 2013. In 2022, Basquiat’s “Untitled, 1982” sold for $85 million. Celebrities like Jay-Z and Beyoncé have collected the late artist’s work.
When he died he had a net worth of $10 million. His estate was administered by his father, Gerard Basquiat, until his death in 2013. The estate is now controlled by the late artist’s sisters, Jeanine Heriveaux and Lisane Basquiat. The two have built a Basquiat branding empire. They have licensed the artist’s work and image for an array of merchandise.
The Apartment
Basquiat did not own the apartment for rent. It has become famous due to his residence there. A plaque has been placed on the building’s exterior noting the connection. 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.”
The building, whose exterior features street art as a public tribute to Basquiat, was purchased by Warhol in 1970. The property, which was originally built in the 1860s, is 6,600-square-feet spread across three floors.