Contemporary artist Jeff Koons has purchased adjacent properties with a combined area of 50,200 square feet, fueling speculations that he would be building a massive studio on the far West Side. Real Deal reported that the controversial pop artist has spent $23.7 million on three adjacent sites at 620, 622, and 624 West 52nd Street, overlooking the Hudson river in New York.
The locations house a vacant garage, a vacant lot, and a three-story commercial building. "As we are learning about Koons, when he buys real estate he goes big-from 2009 to 2010, he bought two adjacent buildings on East 67th Street to create a megamansion for himself, which will include a lap pool and has predictably upset the neighbors," Real Deal stated in its report.
Koons purchased 624 West 52nd Street from Celtic Realty for $12.7 million. The property includes a three-story, 11,000-square-foot commercial building. Prior to this, he first purchased the properties in 622 West 52nd Street for $5.5 million and a vacant garage at 620 West 52nd Street for $5.5 million in May.
According to the report, Koons is expanding his studio space in Hell's Kitchen, though the report added that plans to upgrade the properties have not yet been filed with the city's Department of Buildings. Koon's current studio at 601 West 29th Street is just under 10,000 square feet.
Art News reported in May that Koon's studio will be relocating to 620 West 52nd Street, following reports that his studio would be evicted from its current Chelsea address due to the property being re-leased to Douglaston Development.
According to his biography, Jeff Koons became popular because of his artistic way of using everyday objects in special installations that touched on consumerism and the human experience. His art comes with overtly sexual themes while others have been seen as a form of neo-kitsch. The artist has an estimated $100 million net worth, according to The Richest.
