Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Photos: Keith Haring's Early Years Now At The Brooklyn Museum
By
Kate Schaefer
Published Mar 22, 2012
Modified Mar 22, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 7
By
Kate Schaefer
Published Mar 22, 2012
Modified Mar 22, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Keith Haring 1978-1982 is a large-scale, salon style exhibition of the New York-based artist, which just opened up at the Brooklyn Museum last week (running through July 8th). When we dropped by, Raphaela Platow, the show's curator told us she didn't want to do "just another Keith Haring show," and was very concerned with keeping the energy in the exhibit—she didn't want his work to fall flat in a conservative setup, so she opted for the salon style, which mimics the way Haring had his studio in PS 122 set up.
Platow also wanted a unique focus, and eventually decided on the first four years of his career (like when he sketched the Twin Towers as two erect penises), because those were the pivotal years of development for Haring. Little known fact: Haring actually preferred to work in the medium of video. At the show you'll also find never before seen videos of Haring painting himself into a corner, and making his friends pronounce things like "th" and "nn."
While checking the show out, Steve Kaplan was also in attendance, and he told us back in the 1980s an artist named Richard Hambelton would buy gallery grade black paper and put it up in subways (where you find ads these days). When he would return days later, he would find his own, one-of-a-kind Keith Haring art pieces.
When asked what she thought Haring would say about the show, Platow said that he was such a generous person that she is sure he would have said "it's great, good job."
Tagged
art
brooklyn museum
keith haring
Kate Schaefer
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 12:55 p.m. ET
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .