To much of the world, Keith Haring is known as the queer pop culture icon whose bold, stylized artwork became a visual timestamp for the electric art and activism scene of 1980s New York. His work also symbolized a darker side of this era — the AIDS crisis, as Haring himself eventually lost his life to HIV-related complications. But to Kermit Oswald, Haring — a world-renowned artist who hobnobbed with contemporaries like Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Jean-Michel Basquiat — was simply his lifelong best friend.
Upon recently releasing several rare Haring pieces from his personal collection to Sotheby’s for auction, Oswald also shared some intimate details and fun anecdotes about his longtime friendship with Haring.
The pair bonded during childhood in Kutztown, a small rural town in Pennsylvania, while working together as paper boys. By high school, the two had discovered a shared love of the visual arts, which Haring often channeled by orchestrating elaborate “artistic pranks,” as Oswald shared with journalist Alexander Cheves in an interview for The Guardian.
‘Haring’s House: Works from the Collection of Kermit Oswald’ on display at Sotheby’s Breuer Building, New YorkJohn Nacion/Getty Images
He recalled one such prank playing out after a neighboring farm’s silo had fallen in a field, and “Keith said it looked like a blimp.” At night, he and Haring returned to the scene and painted the Goodyear logo across the side of it — marking an early venture into Haring’s future as a prolific street artist and activist. “This was farm country. There was no graffiti anywhere, and Keith did not fundamentally see himself as a graffiti artist.”
Their friendship endured, as well as their passion for arts, so the two left Kutztown for New York in 1978 to study at the School of Visual Arts. Oswald recalls watching in awe at the evolution of Haring’s work and style. He says he also recognized signs of early influences from their youth.
“You have to remember, Keith was a paperboy,” Oswald told The Guardian, noting he believed Haring was purposely documenting the time they were living in through his work. “News headlines were always a big part of Keith’s life. Works were untitled because he wanted you to see the date and look at the headlines from the New York Post or New York Times.”
Oswald, who is straight, said discovering Haring was queer in their late teens didn’t affect their friendship at all. “When you love someone, you love all of them, their heart and soul, so I never questioned my love for Keith when I learned he was gay.”
When Oswald’s first child was born in 1986, he and his wife couldn’t afford a new baby crib, so they ended up using the one Oswald had slept in as a baby, which his parents had kept in their attic. “I got it and I painted it yellow, then Keith came over, we had a few beers, and he painted the rest of it.” Haring also painted an old dresser to match; both pieces are now part of the Sotheby’s collection.
The baby crib Haring painted for his best friend’s first child in 1986 John Nacion/Getty Images
The friends were so close, in fact, Haring requested that Oswald inform Haring’s parents that he was HIV-positive. Oswald obliged. On February 16, 1990, Haring died of AIDS-related complications at 31 years old. “I was with him the day before he died. He passed the day after my birthday, which still sometimes makes the day hard.”
For the next three and a half decades, Oswald kept his memories of Haring near and dear to his heart — as well as the many artistic treasures created and left behind by his best friend. On deciding to let go of some of those items now, Oswald said he “came to the realization that my relationship with these works is experiential. The work is just the physical result of it. I love the memory of being in the room when most of them were being done.”
Oswald added that he’s very happy that Haring’s legacy lives on. “As a society, we rarely have intimate contact with a great artist. Most of the time, we just have their work, and when you finally meet them, it’s disappointing. But Haring is the opposite. Knowing him better helps you understand his work. And I can tell you he was a generous person, a great man and a great friend.”
“Haring House: Works from the Collection of Kermit Oswald” is now on display at the Sotheby’s Breuer Building in NYC. In October, a selection of 41 works from the collection will be offered in an online auction. Visit sothebys.com for more information.
John Nacion/Getty Images