Celebrating Basquiat: Scores of art lovers gathered at the Andrée Putman Studio in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan last Thursday to commemorate Jean-Michel Basquiat and gaze at the new giant outdoor mural of the groundbreaking Neo-Expressionist painter and street artist who died in 1988 at the age of 27.
The mural, at the corner of Bowery and Great Jones Street where Basquiat once lived and worked, was painted by artist Owen Dippie, based on a photo portrait of Basquiat by Gianfranco Gorgoni. The photo hangs in the Andrée Putman Studio at 344 Bowery, coincidentally situated right by Basquiat’s old digs.
The Jean-Michel Basquiat mural by artist Owen Dippie.
Dippie’s mural, at 60 feet in height and nearly 20 feet across, is a formidable presence within the city’s creative landscape. Last Thursday, the work was near completion.
“I was very close with Jean-Michel,” said Olivia Putman, art director of the studio and the daughter of the late Andrée Putman. “I used to spend a lot of time in his studio.”
She was a supporter of Basquiat, introduced him to her mother, and championed other artists within his circle.
“This evening is really about celebrating the mural with the art and design community,” said Aurélie Laure, the chief executive officer of Andrée Putman Studio, an interior design firm that also produces furniture. The studio occupies three floors, has two outdoor decks and displays artwork and furnishings including “the universe” of Andrée Putman and her creations. Among the Putman designs on display is a large all-white ceramic tile table for photographer Jean Paul Goude.
“It’s a place of hospitality, where people from the creative industry can gather,” said Laure. “It’s really like a warm apartment where you can sit on the sofa, or on the daybed, and are welcome to spend some time.”
Andrée Putman maintained a long-standing and influential relationship with New York, marked by pioneering interior design projects. Her work at the Morgans Hotel in 1984 revolutionized the hospitality industry by introducing what’s considered the world’s first true boutique hotel. And the striking spiral staircase that was the centerpiece of the former Barneys New York in the Chelsea section of Manhattan inspired staircase designs in other upscale stores.
