The new Brant Foundation in the East Village opened last week with a spectacular Basquiat show. Tickets are SOLD OUT but get yourself on the Wait List. Forget about this year’s art fairs, this is THE art experience everyone will be talking about. Another outstanding example of the trend to private art museums. Major culture shift.

 

 

Peter Brant bought this building in 2014 after Walter de Maria’s death in 2013. It had served as the legendary artist’s home and studio for over 30 years.

I was incredibly lucky to tour the building (a former Con Ed substation) shortly afterwards in December 2014.

• The space at that point was authentic to how de Maria had lived/worked e.g. unenclosed toilet and kitchen sink next to each other was his only hat tip to domestication.
• The Dan Colen show was installed in the untouched space – and it was fabulous.
• Link here to the show with photos from my visit.

Four years later, after a major overhaul, the space has reopened with an absolutely stunning Basquiat show organized in collaboration with the Fondation Louis Vuitton (Gagosian appears to be involved as well possibly because he represents the Walter de Maria estate?).

Tickets are sold out but after having added myself to the wait list for pretty much all the days/times from opening til May (when it closes), my diligence was rewarded with two tickets for this past Sunday. I’m still hyperventilating. So good!

Address: 421 East 6th Street (between 1st Avenue and Avenue A)

 

Scroll down for photos from our visit.

 

Bottom Line.

Yes, this is worth a trip to NYC and worth hustling to get a ticket either through the wait list or for those of you who “know people,” definitely hit them up for tickets.

Also amazing to me how prolific Basquiat was (he died at age 27 in 1988). And that his work looks even fresher and more relevant 30 years later than it did at the time he created it.

Huge fan.