Former studio location of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat at 87 Great Jones Street was a former horse stable and owned by Andy Warhol. Basquiat worked here from 1983 to 1988.
Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images.
Former Jean Michel-Basquiat Studio, Now Rented By Angelina Jolie, Vandalized in Manhattan
Located at 57 Great Jones Street, the former studio of iconic Neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat has been vandalized.
The former Lower Manhattan studio of Jean-Michel Basquiat might be unrecognizable to some. According to East Village blog EV Grieve, the 57 Great Jones Street location, between the Bowery and Lafayette, was doused in bright pink paint in late August. From 1983 until his death in 1988, Basquiat leased the studio from his friend and occasional collaborator, Andy Warhol.
Currently renting the space is Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie, who plans to use the three-story building as the headquarters of her fashion label, Atelier Jolie. The building’s exterior is also shown on the Atelier Jolie website, albeit untouched. On Instagram, the brand, a self-proclaimed "creative collective for self-expression,” wrote in a caption that Basquiat’s studio would remain true to the late artist’s foundation.
“A privilege to be in this space. We will do our best to respect and honor its artist legacy with community and creativity,” the caption reads.
Last Thursday afternoon (August 31), Harlem street artist Doodlehedz heard about the vandalization and attempted to peel back the pink paint that covers the building’s exterior. “It’s just so disrespectful to paint over the plaque knowing what Basquiat means to us [street artists] and the community and the world and just pop culture in general,” the artist told Hyperallergic. “This is people’s heart and soul, and this person didn’t think about that.”
While it’s unbeknownst who the vandal is, the Lower Manhattan community suspects artist Roberto Palacio, who’s shared images of the painted studio on his Instagram account. Palacio also appears to be selling an art piece titled “The erasure of, Jean- ll” for $40,000, which he describes as “a physical of the silent protest performance using the same batch of color used for the sacrifice; PINK.”
In other Basquiat news, the late artist will be homaged in forthcoming documentary King Pleasure, directed by Quinn Wilson.
