Photo Pest: Early Keith

Friday, May 29, 2026

Early Keith

Free admission to a Keith Haring show at the Brant Foundation? I'm there. Jean-Michel Basquiat drew this caricature of his early twentysomething buddy a couple of years older than he. Those were the days!

(1980-81)

Despite the faux bloodiness of this work (the earliest in the show) and the hopeful interpretation of some 21st-century-born fans, Haring was not vegan or even vegetarian, a lifestyle choice he seems to be mocking here. A butcher shop once employed him.

"Everybody Knows . . . " (partial 1978)

Haring's repeated particular motifs, such as the space ship, from the very beginning.

Untitled (1980)

It's a wonder that Disney never sent him a cease-and-desist letter for violating the company's copyright on Mickey (which finally expired in 2024, 33 years after the artist's death), a beloved figure from his childhood. In fact, new, younger management at the then-independent company may have recognized the potential for brand extension in a different universe as soon as Haring completed his Andy Mouse series in 1986. The one-percent has kids, too.

Untitled (1981)

This violence seems anomalous.

Untitled (1981)

Colorful vinyl tarps created over a two-year period from 1981 to 1983 comprise the most arresting display

as well as a good selfie backdrop.

Untitled (1982)

Haring often painted on materials other than canvas including terra cotta

Tinaja (1982-83)

. . . leather,

1983

. . . blank advertising space (it appears that Pia Zadora has electrified his subway chalk man. She's still alive and kicking but I wonder how many people nowadays ever have heard of her),

Untitled (1983)

. . . wood

Untitled (1983)

. . . and sheet metal. A mural that extended for 300 feet along the East River and the FDR Drive, which probably exposed more New Yorkers to his work than any gallery show, included this panel. Like Haring often said "Art is for everybody!"