Angelina Jolie, an actress and humanitarian, signed a deal for renting a place where Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat worked and lived. This apartment lies on 57 Great Jones Street in New York. John Roesch and Garrett Kelly, directors at the real estate agency Meridian Capital Group, confirmed the deal yesterday. Jolie will use it for her creative studio, Atelier Jolie.
Angelina Jolie Will Keep the Graffiti-Decorated Exterior
Jolie will rent the apartment and studio in the long-term, for eight years. There are three levels and 6,600 square feet of interior area.The exterior of the building has an artistic appearance – graffiti adorn the exterior appearance. The actress decided not to change the facade, in order to honor Basquiat and his work. When SAMO, an urban artistic duo, first formed, Basquiat was a member of the group.
“[Jolie] wanted to preserve the older art on [the building] and keep that Basquiat feel to the space”, said Roesch, a director at the real estate agency Meridian Capital Group. Other agency director, Garrett Kelly, also added: “She loved the facade of the building and it being tagged up with the street art as a memorial for Basquiat”.
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Before Basquiat, the apartment was Andy Warhol‘s residence. He acquired it somewhere in the 1970s. Not much time passed between the meeting of these two artists and the moment when Warhol rented the space to Basquiat. Basquiat rented the second floor of the complex, to be his apartment and art studio.
The Apartment’s Rich History
The New York complex already had a rich tradition, even before Warhol rented the space. It was initially built in the 1860s, and Paolo Antonio Vaccarelli, well known as the criminal Paul Kelly, bought it and formed the Brighton Athletic Club there in 1904. Up until 1970, the structure housed a steel manufacturing firm and a supplier of kitchenware.
At one point in time, the building housed the upscale Japanese eatery Bohemian. This is the most recent. Atelier Jolie will provide less prevalent customises and craftspeople from throughout the globe with a workshop experience. The 57 Great Jones Street site will allow participants to construct and display their works.
According to Roesch, Jolie intends to launch her newly established company “as quickly as possible.” Prior to this, Meridian Capital Group had the real estate put on lease for $60,000 per month for an initial period of ten years.
