Tomorrow the Brooklyn Museum will open their Keith Haring 1978-1982 exhibit, the first large-scale exhibition to explore the artist's early career, and we stopped by this morning for a press preview. We'll have a full look at the show tomorrow, but right now let's focus on this piece that was catching a lot of eyes: a 1978 pencil drawing of the World Trade Center. In typical Haring style, he replaced the Twin Towers with giant penises, making the southern tip of Manhattan even that much easier to spot. more ›

Keith Haring created quite a bit of art in his short life, and love for it has only grown since his death in 1990 of AIDS-related complications. Hence the recreated murals, restored ceilings and upcoming Brooklyn Museum show. But there is another bit of Haring being made available to the city right now. This month The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center is opening up Haring's well-known (and quite dirty) bathroom mural for public viewing. Haring painted the mural, finishing it less than a year before he died, as part of a commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. more ›

So the Keith Haring tribute mural has been buffed, and currently the Brazilian street art duo (and twin brothers) Os Gemeos (real names Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo) are creating their own mural in its place (Animal has photos of the work in progress). more ›

Well, it lasted longer than it was supposed to: the Keith Haring tribute mural that went up last April on Houston and Bowery is being whitewashed today. The mural went up to celebrate what would have been the artist's 50th birthday, it underwent a modification by his former collaborator in July 2008, and was meant to be down by this past December, according to Animal NY. We contacted Deitch Projects, who along with the Keith Haring Foundation commissioned the recreation of the artist's piece, to find out what might go up on the wall next. We'll update the post when we hear back, but in the meantime, expect it to be tagged by some enterprising young street artists by sun up. more ›

A picture of chef David Waltuck’s restaurant was on the cover of New York Magazine the week of December 31, 1979 with the headline ‘The Daring Young Man on Grand Street.’ Gael Greene wrote a review of the warmly lit restaurant Waltuck was frenetically running with his wife Karen, two waiters, and a lone potwasher inside a former bodega in SoHo. Chanterelle was two weeks-old. Waltuck was 24. more ›

Starting this weekend, Deitch Projects, which had a hand in the Keith Haring mural on Houston Street and Bowery, will host the late artist's famous The Ten Commandments series. This will be the first U.S. exhibit of the works; Deitch (PDF) notes that it is one of his "most powerful series of paintings. The works portray the Ten Commandments from Haring’s point of view, combining a traditional Biblical interpretation with the artist’s liberating spirit and apocalyptic vision. The Ten Commandments were painted for Haring’s first solo museum show, a 1985 exhibition at the CAPC, Bordeaux, a reconverted wool warehouse with a span of twenty-five foot high archways supporting the roof...Haring had the inspiration to order ten tablet shaped canvases to fit within the arches. While on the dance floor at the Paradise Garage the day before leaving for Bordeaux, he had a vision to paint The Ten Commandments." [via SLAMXHYPE] more ›

From the inbox: “Hasn't anyone noticed that the Haring memorial mural on Bowery and Houston was ‘modified’ last Tuesday with some painted on additions? The interesting thing here is that the man behind the ‘modifications’ is none other than LA II, a long lost collaborator of Haring’s who's a graffiti artist from the lower east side. Years ago, he claimed that the Haring Foundation basically robbed him of the work he did with Haring. Now he's back to reclaim his legacy the only way he knows how. This is a fucking story!” more ›

EVENT: It's another First Friday at The Bronx Museum, where there will be free beer, music and of course art. Tonight's a "New York City rock and roll extravaganza; a musical exploration of up and coming urban rock and roll superstars with The Bangers and Dragons of Zynth." more ›

Nylon has some shots of the new Keith Haring mural going up on E. Houston as a tribute to the artist on his upcoming birthday, May 4th. Still a work-in-progress, you can find it between Bowery and 2nd Avenue. more ›

Slice took the photo here and wondered what the story was behind this sign, which is part of a series of alternating signs in the window of a Union Street home in Park slope. Well, our buddy at the NSA owed us a favor, and we tracked down the man behind the cryptic signage. more ›

Recently, legend became reality when a 10-story building in SoHo was being converted to a luxury condo. Unearthed in the walls was a large mural created by graffiti pioneers Fab Five Freddy and Futura 2000.The artwork contains a variety of images and writing executed in spray paint, grease pencil, magic marker and whatever else was on hand — in silver, gold, pink and red. There are cartoonlike pictures of a bomber airplane, images of a... more ›

Opening this past weekend and running through June 30th is Seattle artist Mike Leavitt's "New York Art Army" show. Hand-made action figures were created to visually tell the history of the city's creative scene, the wooden New Yorkers stand alongside other "urban art stars and old masters." Fittingly, the show (exhibited in a site-specific installation) is across the street from the ToyTokyo toy shop, at their Showroom. more ›

• A cop killer Ronell Wilson goes through his penalty phase, we're learning a lot about him like how he sucked his thumb at 15 and how a kid he robbed 10 years ago (he stole his calculator and bus pass) is doing fine these days.
• Elmhurst residents will not only get new green parkland from a lot where gas tanks are - that boulder from Fort Greene will be added there too!
• A funeral was held for police officer Cesar Borja, who died of a pulmonary illness many believe was caused by working 16 hour shifts at Ground Zero.

It's hard to believe Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" came out almost 20 years ago. The song was included on the 1987 A Very Special Christmas album, the first in a series of compilations to benefit the Special Olympics. Also on that cd (which included cover art by Keith Haring): Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band singing "Merry Christmas Baby". Happy Holidays! more ›

On June 27, 1986, Keith Haring got a $25 dollar ticket for painting an unauthorized mural on a handball court on East 128th Street. A few months later, the Parks Department invited him back to finish it, and twenty years later, it's still there-- an iconic reminder of times past. Bonus fact: the piece is probably one of the most-seen in the entire city, as it sits a stone's throw from the Harlem River Drive. more ›

Quality of Life, the graf film that explores the legitimacy of "street art" and laws that criminalize it, hits New York streets April 6, or more specifically...the Pioneer Theater. more ›

- And in case you forgot, the NYC Fringe Festival continues! Go! more ›

Michael Carter, Poet, East Village Homesteader more ›