Yieldstreet Makes Art Investing Experiential With Basquiat Exhibition Partnership

Leading New York-based alternative investment platform sponsors first-of-its-kind Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© Exhibition in New York City, honoring his life and work

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of an ongoing commitment to democratize access to investing in art, Yieldstreet, a leading digital alternative investment platform providing investors with exclusive private market opportunities, announced today a partnership with Jean-Michel Basquiat’s family. The first ever exhibition honoring the life and work of the legendary artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure©, will debut in New York City. It will feature over 200 never-before-seen and rarely shown paintings, drawings, ephemera and artifacts to provide an intimate and multidimensional portrait of the artist.

“Just like the exhibition will be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands, art investing should be made more widely accessible,” said Milind Mehere, Yieldstreet Founder and CEO. “Partnerships like this emphasize Yieldstreet’s mission to create awareness about why it’s important for art to be experienced, invested in and enjoyed by more than the uber wealthy.”

In late 2021, Yieldstreet launched their first Art Equity Fund to much acclaim, selling out within weeks. The first fund focused on Post War & Contemporary artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat’s circle of friends and influences including George Condo, Keith Haring, and Kenny Scharf. In light of such strong demand, Yieldstreet recently launched a second fund, “The Artists of Harlem,” providing retail investors a unique opportunity to invest in a diverse collection of highly coveted artworks from artists of the Harlem Renaissance through the present day, including artworks created by Jacob Lawrence, Norman Lewis, Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, Stanley Whitney, Alice Neel, Glenn Ligon, and many others.

“We are honored to be a sponsor of the remarkable King Pleasure© exhibit, which recognizes Jean-Micel Basquiat’s immense and transformative impact on the art world, and to share with the public a fresh and unique perspective on the life and work of one of the most iconic artists of the last 50 years,” said Rebecca Fine, head of Yieldstreet & Athena’s Art Platform.

Additionally, as part of this partnership, Yieldstreet will feature a representative of the Basquiat estate on The Yield podcast, to discuss their shared mission of making art more accessible to everyone and how this extraordinary exhibition finally came together – more than 30 years after Jean-Michel Basquiat’s passing.

“We are thrilled to partner with Yieldstreet, to advance and share Jean-Michel Basquiat’s vision, providing this extraordinary opportunity for people to experience firsthand aspects of his life that influenced his art,” said Ileen Gallagher, producer of the King Pleasure© exhibition.

The exhibit will open on April 9th, 2022 at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, Manhattan. Incorporating a highly-curated collection of his pieces, the event will include artworks and objects from his personal life, influences, the Black experience and the times in which he lived.

For more details about the event or to buy tickets, please visit https://kingpleasure.basquiat.com.

About Yieldstreet

Yieldstreet is reimagining the way wealth is created by providing access to alternative investments previously reserved only for institutions and the ultra-wealthy. Yieldstreet’s mission is to help millions of people generate $3 billion of income outside the traditional public markets by 2025. Its award-winning technology platform provides access to investment products across a range of asset classes such as Real Estate, Commercial, Consumer, Art, Marine, Legal Finance and Aviation. Since its founding in 2015, Yieldstreet has funded over $2.4 billion of investments and is committed to making financial products more inclusive by creating a modern investment portfolio. The company, headquartered in New York City with offices in Brazil, Greece and Malta, is backed by leading venture capital firms. Join the movement at www.yieldstreet.com.

About Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure

The family of Jean-Michel Basquiat is presenting an exhibition of his work for the first time. Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure© opens April 9, 2022 at NYC landmark, the Starrett-Lehigh Building. The exhibition will feature over 200 never before and rarely seen paintings, drawings, multimedia presentations, ephemera and artifacts to give an intimate and multidimensional portrait of Jean-Michel that can only be told by his family. All of the work is from the family’s collection and the majority has not been exhibited publicly previously. It was conceived by his sisters Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux, who run The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat along with their stepmother Nora Fitzpatrick.