BASQUIAT'S HOUSE

Jean Michael Basquiat is arguably the most famous African American artist to have ever lived. He once called Andy Warhol his best friend and even dated Madonna. Madonna's 1983 music video, Borderline, pays tribute to her then-boyfriend with her use of spray-painted graffiti art towards the end of the video.

But just a couple of years before his meteoric rise to fame, Basquiat slept under a bench in nearby Washington Square Park. During the day, he would canvas the streets of Greenwich Village in search of objects he could turn into art, then trade his work for food or drugs and sometimes shelter. It was on one of these excursions that he serendipitously met Andy Warhol and his agent, Bruno Bischofberger. In 1985, just a short time after they met, Basquiat and Warhol held their first joint exhibition.

Pieces from this exhibition now sell for tens of millions of dollars.

Andy helped Basquiat keep his drug use under control during the most prolific time of his career by giving him a sense of stability and this place to call home. 57 Great Jones Street serves as the ultimate symbol of their friendship.

Andy died unexpectedly in February 1987. Immediately afterward, Basquiat was considered a squatter, according to Warhol's estate. A year and a half later, on August 12, 1988, Basquiat died of a heroin overdose on the second floor. Thereby joining the infamous "27 Club” alongside Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendricks... all artists who've made a lasting impact on the world before their premature deaths at the age of 27.