ow we know all you artists out there, like us, lust after the ultimate studio (we’ve even made a whole feature about our studios here.) It has to be just right. Great light, perfect location and that certain je ne sais quoi. If you haven’t found your space yet, here are some of the greats in their homes and studios to spark a little inspiration, and a lot of jealousy.
1. Pablo Picasso
Villa La Californie, Cannes, France — Picasso purchased Villa La Californie in 1955. It was in this home that he painted some of his most iconic works, including “Bay of Cannes” as inspired by the scenery.
Image courtesy of Yellow Trace
2. Francis Bacon
7 Reece Mews, South Kensington, London — Bacon lived and worked in this walk-up studio. The abundance of paints, materials and work covering the walls has been described by his friends as being a piece in and of itself.
Image courtesy of Number 31
3. Willem de Kooning
East Hampton, New York — de Kooning and his wife, Elaine, left Manhattan in 1960 to live in Long Island. Seeking out a landscape more familiar to his native Holland, the influential 20th century painter transformed the cottage into a home and studio.
Image courtesy of AFA News
4. Georgia O’Keeffe
Ghost Ranch, Abiquiú, New Mexico — O’Keeffe bought Ghost Ranch from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe in 1945. Located 50 miles from Santa Fe, Ghost Ranch is now a registered historic landmark and remains open as the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
Image courtesy of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
5. Keith Haring
Broadway & Great Jones St, New York, New York — Haring rented this studio, just blocks from Washington Square Park, beginning in 1985. The space served as his studio until his untimely death in 1990. The building now serves as headquarters for the Keith Haring Foundation.
Image courtesy of Gwarlingo
6. Louise Bourgeois
West 20th Street, Chelsea, New York City — Bourgeois lived in this Chelsea townhouse for nearly 50 years. The home has remained untouched, spider sculptures still in the back patio and stacks of papers still about to topple over. In the upcoming months The Easton Foundation will be opening her home up to the public for private tours.
Image courtesy of The New York Times. All rights reserved to The Easton Foundation.
7. Donald Judd
Spring St, SoHo, New York City — Judd moved to SoHo in the 1980’s while the neighborhood was still in a state of disrepair. Slowly, the neighborhood redefined itself as an artist’s haven. Today, the five floors of Judd’s live-work space are open for visitation via the Donald Judd Foundation.
Image courtesy of Erik Sommer
8. Alexander Calder
Roxbury, Connecticut — Prolific 20th century sculptor, Alexander Calder, called the small town of Roxbury home for over 40 years. Calder worked in the same studio from 1933 until his death in 1976.
Image courtesy of CNN
9. Mari Andrews
Emeryville, California — Andrews’s Emeryville studio is filled with objects she’s collected across many states over the past decades. Mari’s work is a meeting of illustration and sculpture.
Image courtesy of Yellow Trace
10. Jean-Michel Basquiat
Great Jones St, New York City — This multi-genre artist found the location for his studio in a building located on Great Jones Street in NoHo.
Image courtesy of Atelier Log
Words by Katy Hallowell
