“There is nothing that makes me happier than making a child smile.”
E xecuted in 1986, Mural for The Mount Sinai Hospital epitomizes Keith Haring’s deeply impactful and socially minded approach to art making. Throughout his short-lived yet prolific career, Haring sought to create what he called “art for everyone” and passionately advocated for a variety of social and political causes, with children’s rights being top of mind.
In 1985/1986, Haring was invited by Diane Rode, the then-sole art therapist at The Mt. Sinai Hospital (now Senior Director, Patient and Family Centered Care at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital) to come to the hospital and make a few drawings for some patients. What started as a simple invitation became three separate visits, whereby Haring energetically dashed from room to room with a marker and notepad and drew for numerous patients. On his third and final visit on January 16, 1986, Haring asked Rode if he could paint a mural in the children’s wing’s 2nd floor. The hospital enthusiastically agreed, and Haring immediately began painting on the wallpaper. Patients filled into the hallway to watch in awe as Haring’s full-body painting process—akin to a dance or performance—was on full display. As he painted, Haring was fully engaged with the children, talking to them about art: its purpose, its influence and intent, and his process to open his mind and let images flow in.
Most remarkable about the resulting composition, the present Mural for The Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, is how playful and uplifting the subject matter is. Spanning over 200 inches, a two-headed dog appears to bustle around, its five pairs of sneaker-clad feet in constant motion. At the lower left, a child—representing all the children at the hospital—is dressed in a typical sports t-shirt, signaling to the many patients at the time that they too could be part of the narrative of art. A caterpillar flies alongside the two-headed dog while another bendable creature enjoys a ride atop the friendly, dreamlike creature. At the time of its creation, Mural for The Mount Sinai Hospital encouraged a dialogue between children, adults and Haring himself about the intersection of imagination and art in the most accessible of ways. Haring’s innate ability to relate to children and reflect that energy instantly within his work is a remarkable testament to his visual impact as an artist, as well as his character and kindness that radiates from his body of work.
“Keith was always crystal clear…‘Kids like the drawings” he said, “ and I don’t want to endanger that.’ Among his most perfect works is a birthday book he made for a girl’s fifth birthday. Without a trace of condescension he spoke directly to a child’s intellect and fancy. I have seen kids turn over the pages of Art in Transit, his book without words that pictures much of his subway art, for hours at a time, engendering a love of the format of a book that in many cases pre-dates and short circuits the ability to read.”
In 1989, the building that housed Haring’s mural was torn down and replaced with the Guggenheim Pavilion, which is The Mount Sinai Hospital’s main building. The present work was preserved and has been out of public view for more than 30 years.
Throughout his career, Haring devoted much of his time to public works, creating nearly 50 murals between 1982-1989 that underscore his innate need to give back to his community while fostering an entire generation of artists and admirers. Less than half of these murals still stand today, making the sale of Mural for The Mount Sinai Hospital a rare opportunity to own a work as prevailing and iconic as the Crack is Wack mural in New York City, the mural at Necker-Enfants Malades hospital in Paris or the mural in Pisa at the Church of Sant’Antonio.
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Children’s Village Orphanage, New York, 1985
