View of June Leaf's studio with creative works displayed near Bleecker Street entrance.

Inside June Leaf’s Timeless Bleecker Street Studio and Its Echoes of Creative Legacy

User avatar placeholder
Written by Seth Sebastian

2026-10-23

An Artistic Legacy Hidden on Bleecker Street

Forty years ago, as I wandered Bleecker Street into the East Village, I discovered an old shopfront where sculptor June Leaf and her husband, photographer Robert Frank, lived and created. This wasn’t a pristine gallery; it was a fragment of old New York, a building that stood as a testament to the city’s enduring artistic spirit. Built in 1817, the Federal-style house became their home and fortress in the late 1970s, symbolizing resistance against the city’s changing tides.

Exploring the creative spaces of notable artists can be fascinating. Utzon’s Secluded Danish Home is a masterpiece of modernist architecture worth visiting for its blend of privacy and design.

June Leaf sitting, photographed by Richard Avedon in 1975 Cape Breton Island.
June Leaf, photographed by Richard Avedon in July 1975, at Mabou Mines, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

A Sanctuary of Art and Love

Leaf and Frank made their artistic sanctuary particularly unique. In the 1980s, as I observed Frank from a distance, sitting on a folding chair outside, I realized this home was not just a shelter but a conduit of artistic collaboration. When Frank passed away in 2019 at age 94, Leaf continued to infuse life into their shared space.

One-room studio above Bleecker Street with curtains and platform in former shopfront.
Leaf’s one-room studio, a former shopfront housed in an early-1800s building west of the Bowery, was perched a few steps above Bleecker Street. Layers of sheer curtains hung above an elevated platform where she often staged work. Originally built as a private residence, over the years the building was occupied by a variety of tenants including furriers, a Chinese laundry, and a stationery store.

Leaf’s Journey: From Chicago to Bleecker

June Leaf’s artistic journey began in Chicago in 1929 and took her through esteemed institutions like the New Bauhaus and onto a Fulbright scholarship in Paris. Her New York arrival in 1960 marked a period of daring exploration, as she melded painting and installation into hybrid works critics often struggled to define. Her creations were vivid, often fusing painting with three-dimensional constructs, and captured both darkness and exuberance.

Studio wall with overlapping paintings, brooms, and various equipment.
A studio wall formed a serendipitous collage of overlapping paintings on canvas and on paper. The works are book-ended by some of her studio equipment: brooms, a fire extinguisher, an oxy-acetylene gas tank for welding, and a paint-splattered bucket. In the foreground is a trunk filled with years of sketchbooks: drawings from a life spent in Chicago, Paris, New York, L.A., Mexico, Japan, and Canada.

Artifacts of a Shared Life

A tour through the Bleecker Street house revealed snapshots of Leaf and Frank’s shared life—images of their time in Cape Breton and portraits of an older Frank, filled with joy in Leaf’s studio. Among the details of their unity, a Kerouac quote from “On the Road” pinned next to miniature Statues of Liberty highlighted their artistic partnership.

Exterior of June Leaf's and Robert Frank's former residence on Bleecker Street.
The former NYC residence of June Leaf and her husband Robert Frank on Bleecker Street. The artists lived and worked in the building for over half a century

Sculpting Dreams in Motion

During a brief stint in California in 1975, Leaf learned welding, transforming scrap metal into expressive characters, large and small. Some of these moving sculptures, like “The Head,” are celebrated at the New Museum‘s upcoming exhibition “The Bowery: Devil’s Mile.” Her creative realm existed in perpetual motion, every corner a catalyst for new dreams.

Leaf’s work with moving sculptures parallels other innovative art forms like Yayoi Kusama’s interplay of mirrors and infinity, offering an intriguing perspective on visual experiences.

Studio detail with Serpent sculpture, tin figures, and antique Singer machine.
Detail of June Leaf’s studio with Serpent (2022) in the foreground among hammered-tin figures and kinetic sculptures made with egg beaters. An antique Singer sewing machine, an object Leaf revered for its mechanical and practical aspects, appears often in her work. The treadle and wheel serve to activate the sculpture sitting on the surface above.
Studio filled with Leaf's sculptures, paintings, and drawings reflecting a dancer's mindset.
‘I could have been a dancer,’ Leaf once declared. ‘I think like a dancer, and I’m obsessed with little details.’ Sculpture, paintings, and drawings always filled the studio, and the artist moved them freely around the space. Leaf characteristically used every possible surface to make and display work, from the ceiling to walls to the floor

From Cityscape to Cape Breton

In 1969, Leaf and Frank moved to Mabou, Cape Breton Island, as Frank sought escape from New York. Initially hesitant, Leaf embraced the community’s warmth and continued working in her studio there, which is now preserved as part of her legacy.

Double-height kitchen with acrylic tin artwork The Fourteen Stations of the Heart.
The upstairs kitchen had a double height ceiling where Leaf installed The Fourteen Stations of the Heart, an acrylic on galvanized tin work she made in 1984
Artist's work table cluttered with tools, small sculptures, and materials.
A work table in the artist’s studio covered with tools and materials that June Leaf had readily available as she worked. Sitting in and among those objects were small sculptures
Close-up of June Leaf's work station with artistic tools and materials.
A close-up of the artist’s work station

Unyielding Creativity at 94

June Leaf’s studio was a vibrant cathedral of creative energy. Even at 94, she animated sculptures and paintings with movements that resonated with her visions. Her work, characterized by dynamic gestures, embodied her philosophy: “The secret is not drawing but dance.” Each piece in her studio seemed to breathe life, engaging with abstract truths.

Tin wall with magnet-installed works including My Love of Engineering drawing.
The tin wall leading in and out of the studio served as one of many places where the artist installed works with magnets. Here, My Love of Engineering, a drawing with tin and wire elements, is next to a photograph Leaf took of Robert Frank in their kitchen in Cape Breton in the early 1970s

Final Testaments to Her Craft

Shortly before her passing in July 2024, Leaf’s works were displayed shortly before she passed. Her last sculptures included works such as, and an evocative sea painting—were testaments to her enduring vision. In these, the ocean becomes a vibrant entity, and figures on a boat narrate stories of mystery and dreams.

Sitting room with books, albums, and Leaf's artwork above the fireplace.
The sitting room was a reflection of Leaf and Frank’s shared interests: books and albums – mostly Cape Breton fiddle music – filled every shelf in the room. Above the fireplace are two artworks by Leaf: Two Clients at the Marble Ranch Restaurant, a 1997 tin and acrylic painted relief, and a 1976 painting of a landscape as seen from the artist’s studio in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

“The Bowery: Devil’s Mile” will be exhibited until 31 January 2027 at New Museum, New York. “June Leaf: A Survey” runs from 6 February to 20 March 2027 at Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Beverly Hills; visit juneleaf.com for more information.

A paint-covered, well-used chair from June Leaf's studio.
One of the artist’s well-worn chairs, splattered with paint accumulated from years of work
Sitting room with mementos and handmade cards exchanged by Leaf and Frank.
The sitting room was a central gathering place. Some mementos exchanged between Leaf and Frank were tacked up on the board behind the sofa. Leaf often handmade cards and letters, which she gave Frank on his 9 November birthday
Metal shelves with Leaf's small sculptures: figures, masks, and eyeglasses.
A selection of June Leaf’s small-scale sculptures were held on metal shelves. Standing figures, masks, bubble blowers, and a spiral staircase were grouped with a series of handmade eyeglasses, which she described as being ‘about the pleasures of focusing, and not being distracted’
Studio surfaces filled with June Leaf's creative work and art pieces.
Leaf used every surface to make and display work, from the ceiling to walls to the floor
Studio window featuring a unique figure crafted by June Leaf.
A studio window with a figure by Leaf
Resting figure by Leaf positioned on an easel in the studio.
A figure made by Leaf at rest on an easel
Studio with dual easels where Leaf alternated between painting and sculpture.
June Leaf worked fluidly between painting and sculpture. She kept two easels in her studio where she often positioned both types of work
Man Throwing a Hoop relief placed on work table, moved often in studio.
Man Throwing a Hoop, a galvanised tin, steel, and wire relief from the early 2000s, sat on a work table in the studio. Leaf often moved works around her space
View of June Leaf's studio with creative works displayed near Bleecker Street entrance.

Source: wallpaper.com

Frequently asked questions

Who did June Leaf collaborate with artistically?

June Leaf collaborated artistically with her husband, photographer Robert Frank. Their home on Bleecker Street served as a conduit of artistic collaboration, filled with moments and artifacts of their shared life.

Where did June Leaf begin her artistic journey?

June Leaf’s artistic journey began in Chicago in 1929. She then went through esteemed institutions like the New Bauhaus and received a Fulbright scholarship in Paris before arriving in New York in 1960.

What was June Leaf’s approach to sculpture?

June Leaf’s approach to sculpture involved welding scrap metal into expressive characters during a brief period in California in 1975. Her work with moving sculptures existed in perpetual motion, serving as a catalyst for new dreams.

More in

Architecture

All Architecture

More like this

Grand view of transformed Atlanta warehouse art hub, showcasing vibrant exterior facade and surrounding landscape.

Atlanta's Historic Warehouse Transformation: From Industrial Past to Vibrant Art Hub

Massimiliano Pelletti: The Italian Artist Who Breathes New Life into Classical Sculptures

Massimiliano Pelletti: The Italian Artist Who Breathes New Life into Classical Sculptures

Modern interior with sculptures and vintage furniture in remodeled firehouse.

Experience Daniel Arsham's Artistic Transformation of a 19th-Century SoHo Firehouse

Vibrant keith haring mural tribeca on wall, depicting figures in lively motion, inside modern apartment.

Keith Haring's Rediscovered Mural Enhances $25 Million TriBeCa Triplex

Chef Jake Tyler Brodsky preparing dishes in cozy Cafe Charmant West Village bistro setting.

Cafe Charmant Brings French Elegance to Bleecker with Dishes by Chef Jake Tyler Brodsky

Diverse artworks illustrating how absence in art history shapes modern perception and spatial understanding.

From Rothko to Rauschenberg: How Absence Redefines Artistic Space and Perception

Menu