Palazzo Chupi

    You can expect to see the unexpected in New York City; characters and stores worthy of second glances. I regret not taking a picture of the man dubbed Chandelier and his friend King Charles V…or was it the VI? Chandelier had a head full of dreads that he habitually spray-painted gold, and King Charles was a wandering man with nothing but a rocking horse and a portfolio of amateur photographs. I had been putzing around NoHo with a couple of friends and when we came across these two, a quick chat was too tempting to pass up. Before ending our amicable conversation, I managed to touch one of Chandelier’s metallic stalactites (I honestly have no idea what prompted me to reach out) and purchase a King Charles original print for $1. I asked the King if he would sign the back with a personal message and indeed he did: “I like pizza”.

But I digress, on a completely different note, while I was walking down W. 11^th in the far West Village, I was awestruck by the site of of a massive pink complex looming over its’ neighboring apartments. Palazzo Chupi, the name that is printed on the front of the building, is a set of residential condominiums designed by artist Julian Schnabel. Schnabel has received both praise and protest for his lavish design that is debated to be a work of art and a homage to himself. 

The 50,000 sq ft structure includes a triplex, two duplexes, two single-floor residences, an indoor parking garage and a swimming pool. Before Schnabel discovered the building through artist Roy Lichtenstein, it had acted as a stable and a perfume factory. These days, Palazzo Chupi remains relatively vacant save for the duplex that Schnabel occupies. Apparently Richard Gere purchased one of the single-floor residences for $12 million a few years back but never moved in...I think all that pink left him chupified.

Here are the shots I took:

And now for some Chupa Chup access only pics:

via here

Last but not least, the artist himself: 

Julian Schnabel via here