When Jay-Z and Beyoncé were seen leaving an address in the Meatpacking District last week, there was buzz they were touring a house. But it turns out, they were eyeing art, not real estate.
The recording artist royals were at hot downtown gallery Fort Gansevoort, Page Six has exclusively learned, to preview a new show there by artist Sadie Barnette. The show officially opened Thursday, but we hear Jay-Z and Beyoncé got a private tour a night before.
Spies said they were at the gallery for about an hour. California artist Barnette’s new show is called, “Compland” — said to blend “the California cities of Compton and Oakland.” One of the pieces in the show includes a 500-page FBI surveillance dossier on Barnette’s dad, Rodney Barnette — who founded the Compton, Calif., chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1968.
One of the pieces in the show that Jay-Z and Beyoncé privately toured is an installation that’s a glittering purple tribute to Prince.
The couple was close with the late legend and Beyoncé has recently penned a forward to an upcoming photo book on The Purple One, called “Prince: A Private View,” out Oct. 17.
Meantime, Jay-Z’s had issues with Prince’s estate since the icon died: The rapper has said he made a deal with Prince before his death to release albums through the Jay Z-backed streaming site, Tidal. But that’s been disputed by Prince’s estate. On Jay-Z’s latest album, “4:44,” he defiantly raps, “I sat down with Prince, eye to eye / He told me his wishes before he died.” And of the estate’s executor, Londell McMillan, Jay-Z adds, “They only see green from them purple eyes.”
Beyoncé and Prince also performed together back at the 2004 Grammys.
Jay-Z’s known as an avid art collector. The Post reported in 2013 that the rapper was the anonymous buyer of a $4.5 million Jean-Michel Basquiat piece, and his lyrics have modestly included “I just want a Picasso in my casa.” He’s also known for collecting works by Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, Richard Prince, George Condo and Lena Dunham’s artist mom Laurie Simmons.
