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Keith Haring in the Village

A recent visit to the highly-anticipated Keith Haring exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, Keith Haring: 1978-1982 did not disappoint.  The show looks at the early years of Haring’s career before his breakthrough exhibition at Tony Shafrazi’s SoHo space in 1982.  According to a New York Magazine review, during these years Haring was “merely one of the crowd hanging out in a church-basement rec room on St. Mark’s Place.”   The rec room in question was Club 57, named for its street address on St. Mark’s Place, located in the basement of a Polish church.  Fellow artist and close friend  Kenny Scharf described it as a scene where “art merged with punk rock and lost its preciousness.”  This was a time when Keith developed his investigation of geometric patterns, delved into video art and writing, and explored his belief that art is for everyone.  And much of this took place in the Village….

Matrix, as seen at the Brooklyn Museum


Club 57 was run by actress and performance artist Ann Magnuson.  It was a place that was open to ideas from everyone, as long as they required little or no money.  According to the review in New York Magazine, “Sets were crafted out of cardboard boxes and furniture plucked off East Village curbs and tossed out yet again immediately after the show.  Props came from thrift stores and often went back the next day.”  Magnuson described it as a “punk do-it-yourself aesthetic.”

L: Ann Magnuson spinning at Club 57; Right top: entrance to Club 57; Right bottom: Ann Magnuson standing at Club’s entrance…..all images courtesy of Harvey Wang

One night in 1979, Haring and fellow SVA classmates Kenny Scharf and John McLaughlin (aka John Sex) finished drinks at the Holiday Cocktail Lounge at 75 St. Mark’s Place (sadly, this bar shuttered just a couple months ago) and stumbled into the nearby Club 57 after hearing 60s go-go music blasting inside.

L: 57 St. Mark’s today; R: Holiday Cocktail Loung before it closed

At Club 57 Haring was known for his poems read in Morse Code from within a fake television set.  It is also where he had his first art show, followed by many more.  The Bowery Boys report that Keith once said Club 57 was, “the beginning of a whole career as the organizer and curator of some really interesting art shows.” For more information on Club 57, visit another recent Village Preservation post marking the 21st anniversary of Haring’s death.

Original posters for Haring’s shows at Club 57, as seen at the Brooklyn Museum

Around 1980, Haring, along with about 20 other artists, established a studio at PS 122, where he would also have a show later that year.

A 1980 untitled piece of Haring’s that is inscribed with “PS 122,” as the piece has come to be known

Moving all the way over to the West side, Keith Haring’s first solo show in New York was at the Westbeth Painter’s Space in 1981.

Original posters for Haring’s first NY solo show at Westbeth, as seen at the Brooklyn Museum

As previously mentioned, Keith’s breakout exhibit was at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery, 163 Mercer Street in SoHo.

an original poster for Haring’s show at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery, as seen at the Brooklyn Museum

Not far from 163 Mercer Street, Haring later opened his Pop Shop at 292 Lafayette Street in 1986.  This store sold magnets, t-shirts,  toys, posters, and more, all bearing his images and costing low prices.  This was part of  Haring’s philosophy and approach of making art accessible to everyone.  Although it did receive criticism from much of the art world, the Pop Shop also garnered great support from the likes of Andy Warhol.  Today, the Pop Shop operates online (the storefront closed in 2005).

L: exterior of Pop Shop; R: Haring inside the store

In 1981, Haring had a show at the Hal Bromm Gallery on West Broadway in Tribeca.  This September, Village Preservation and the New School will present a panel discussion on Keith Haring, showcasing his time in the Village, and featuring Hal Bromm as a panelist.  Until then, you can get your Haring fix at the Brooklyn Museum.

A close-up of Matrix, as seen at the Brooklyn Museum

10 responses to “Keith Haring in the Village

  1. I do not see Angel Ortiz name anywhere..he was Haring’s collaborator..the dog..animals and people in the work belong to LA II from what I understand. LAII should have his own show at The Brooklyn Museum..he has so many pieces of work and his collection is growing and he is alive and painting and….

    1. Thanks for your comment, Melanie. I’ll definitely look more into Angel Ortiz as he is a very important figure.

  2. Hal also had a satellite gallery somewhere in the East Village in the 1980’s (although I believe it was after the Haring show which was on West Broadway).
    And a piece of random trivia, Ann Magnumson probably is most widely-known for being a victim to David Bowie’s vampire attack in the opening sequence of the The Hunger (1983).

  3. Works by Keith Haring are currently on view at Sothebys S2 Gallery through April 22nd in an exhibition called SHINE ON. There is a catalogue that includes some worthwhile history and material documenting the works that are available for retail sale.

    While Keith’s 1981 exhbition at Hal Bromm was held at 90 West Broadway in Tribeca, Simeon is correct in recalling that we did have an East Village satellite gallery at Avenue A and East 11th Street during that decade. Many East Village artists, including Keith Haring, Luis Frangella, Judy Glantzman, Mike Bidlo, David Wojnarowicz, Russell Sharon, Arch Connelly, Debby Davis, Stephen Lack, Nicolas Moufarrege, Hope Sandrow, Keiko Bonk, Martin Wong, Rick Prol, Jimmy DeSana, Bobby G, Rhonda Zwillinger and many others were shown there.

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