Former Residence and Studio of Jean-Michael Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat began to attract attention while little more than a teenager, as one half of a duo known as Samo (which stood for “same old shit”) who spray-painted in and around SoHo. The child of a Puerto Rican mother and a Haitian father, Basquiat grew up in Brooklyn, where his father, at least, attempted to give him a stable, middle-class life, although there are accounts of abuse. The young artist wanted no part of it and after running away from home several times, left for good at the age of 17. He would spend several years sleeping in Washington Square Park or on the couches of friends and lovers.

During the years of Basquiat’s semi-homelessness, New York City was a city on the verge of collapse. It was close to bankruptcy and ravaged by crime and drug use. For a burgeoning artist who rejected middle-class respectability and the trappings of consumerism, the gritty streets were perhaps the perfect environment for Basquiat to refine his talents and his views.

In 1981, the artist’s fortunes changed when Annina Nosei included him in a group show. She then gave him a loft apartment and a studio, provided him with supplies, and connected him with collectors. Money began to flow into the apartment as well as copious amounts of cocaine. One of the first paintings Basquiat sold was to Debbie Harry of Blondie and Basquiat would later appear in the video for “Rapture.”

Basquiat’s life would change again when he began to work with Andy Warhol, whom he had long admired. Warhol was both friend and mentor to the artist, and eventually provided Basquiat with an apartment at 57 Great Jones Street, in a building that Warhol owned. Though there is little in the building’s appearance to indicate that it was once the home and studio of one of the twentieth century’s most acclaimed artists, Basquiat lived in the building for the last five years of his life, from 1983 to 1988.

By the time Basquiat moved into the loft on Great Jones, his drug habit had progressed dramatically, leading his one-time benefactor, Nosei, to cut ties with him. Warhol, whose Factory was known for its excesses and libertine approach to drug use, but did not indulge himself, reportedly tried to curtail the younger man’s drug use. Only Warhol made any headway with Basquiat and his addiction; when Warhol died 1987, Basquiat lost his only crutch. Friends of the artist remember Basquiat as despondent upon the news of Warhol's death. Basquiat himself would be found dead of a heroin overdose in the Great Jones Street loft a few months later, in August of 1988.

The Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation placed a plaque on the building to mark its historic significance and there are currently efforts to have the building landmarked.

Wines , Michael . Jean-Michel Basquiat: Hazards of Sudden Success and Fame , New York Times . August 27th 1988. Accessed November 18th 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/1988/08/27/arts/jean-michel-basquiat-hazards-of-sudden-success-and-fame.html.

Metcalf, Stephen. The Enigma of the Man Behind the $110 Million Painting, The Atlantic . Accessed November 18th 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/jean-michel-basquiat-artist-or-celebrity/561728/#:~:text=The%20Enigma%20of%20the%20Man,star%2C%20or%20just%20a%20celebrity%3F.

Gould , Rachel. A Guide to Basquiat's New York City , Culture Trip. October 10th 2018. Accessed November 18th 2020. https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/new-york/new-york-city/articles/a-guide-to-basquiats-new-york-city/.