Basquiat’s New York Tour

In his twelve-year-long career, Jean-Michel Basquiat left an indelible mark on the art and music worlds, and the city as a whole. In this walking tour, we’ll see how he transformed from an anonymous graffiti artist into a major art star whose paintings routinely sell for millions of dollars. We’ll also investigate the downtown art community from which he emerged - full of extraordinary painters, musicians, writers, and filmmakers working side-by-side - and the positive and negative ways his success impacted that community.

Locations include:

- Apartments and studios from throughout Basquiat’s life and career

- Where Basquiat first met Andy Warhol, and where they staged their infamous collaborative show

- Where Basquiat and Madonna briefly lived together

- The Warhol-owned apartment where Basquiat passed away

- Former locations of galleries where Basquiat premiered and sold new works, including Anina Nosei, Tony Shafrazi, Cable Building, and Mary Boon

- Legendary clubs where Basquiat performed, DJ’d, and hung out, including Area, Tier 3, and the Mudd Club

- Filming locations from Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat biopic

- Sites related to Basquiat’s friends, influences, and contemporaries, including Blondie, William S. Burroughs, Al Diaz, Keith Haring, Jim Jarmusch, David Bowie, Fab 5 Freddy, Robert Rauschenberg, John Lurie, Rammellzee, Rene Ricard, Michael Chow, and Maripol

Details

- Begins in the East Village and ends in TriBeCa
- The tour lasts approximately three hours and covers three miles
- Comfortable shoes and bottled water are strongly recommended
- Gratuities are welcome but not mandatory

Check out this Tidal playlist to dive deeper into the music behind the destinations

Rates

By appointment only. Rates available by request.

Photo of “Hollywood Africans” by Shinya Suzuki via Flickr