The lost Keith Haring painting that cannot be moved
Rising from the vibrant graffiti culture of New York during the 1980s, Keith Haring is perhaps one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century. Even for those uninterested in the art world, his colourful and simplistic artistic style is instantly recognisable. Often surrounding themes of social activism, namely raising awareness for AIDS and safe sex, the notoriety of Haring is reflected in the cost of his artwork, reaching up to five million dollars at auction.
The Pennsylvania-born artist uncovered one lost work in a long-forgotten building in Tribeca, Manhattan. Located on 260 West Broadway, the building has a long and storied history. During the early part of the 20th century, with New York City on the rise, the building was utilised by wool merchants before being taken over by the city’s artistic movement during the 1970s.
It was during this time that Keith Haring relocated to New York’s Lower East Side to begin studying at New York’s School of Visual Arts. While studying at the school, Haring became close to prominent figures within the graffiti subculture of the city, honing his artistic style into the vibrant painting style that he became synonymous with. Not long after Haring began studying at the School of Visual Arts, the wool exchange of 260 West Broadway was converted into luxury apartments – complete with such 1980s amenities as “computer terminals”.
Although much of the building was taken over by these luxury condos, the ground floor level remained virtually unchanged. The space originally used for the New York Wool Exchange Company was then utilised as a pop-up art gallery, a restaurant and eventually as a storage facility. Towards the end of the millennium, the building was purchased by Mark Colaio, a senior director at the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.
The exact date and price of Colaio’s purchase is disputed due to incomplete document scans. He either purchased the building for $150,000 in 1998 or for $1,734,000 in June 2001. Given the sky-high real estate prices of New York City, the latter figure is likely the most accurate price. Tragically, Colaio would not have much time to develop the building, as he was killed during the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
However, that same year saw architects Todd Ernst and Frank Servidio begin work on renovating the building, during which they found a lost Keith Haring mural underneath a coat of paint. The mural is thought to have been created by Haring in 1979 while studying at the School of Visual Arts, shortly before the building was first converted into apartments. Ernst later told New York Magazine, “The fact that it actually survived is amazing. It’s next to a sprinkler pipe and it’s made of shoe polish and alcohol, and it’s water soluble.”
The artwork, which has had its authenticity confirmed by The Keith Haring Foundation, has been preserved within the building. While Colaio never got the chance to see the renovation completed, the apartment was listed on the marketplace in 2007 for a whopping $16,000,000 – complete with two bedrooms, five bathrooms, a ballroom, a wine cellar and, of course, a one-of-a-kind mural by Keith Haring.
