Gentrification pushing out artists has a long history in New York. Via the New York Times:
A 1921 cartoon, courtesy of Duke University, shows a displaced artist walking past Vincent Pepe, an Italian-born real estate entrepreneur, and two rich clients in search of a Village home.
And how appropriate; he's walking through Washington Mews, which has long been owned by NYU. (New York University, for those who don't know, is the evil empire that swallows up everything in its path.)
Hilarious picture. The painter looks like the typical 'starving artist.'