NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/HARLEM
KEITH HARING FOUNDATION
CITY/STATE
New York, NY
LOCATION IN HOSPITAL
Pediatric Emergency Department
INSTALL DATE
2018
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ABOUT THE INSTALLATION
In 2018, RxART debuted a collaboration with NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem that featured a detailed and mesmerizing blue-and-white mural by the late artist Keith Haring that was installed in the waiting area of the pediatric emergency department. Provided by the Haring Foundation, the mural features the artist’s iconic comics, and in this space, which is the first point of entry for incoming patients and their families, his dense and engaging line drawings offer positive, even humorous distractions during potentially stressful moments.
This project was made possible by the generous support of Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, along with the Magazzino Italian Art Foundation.
ABOUT THE HOSPITAL
NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is part of an integrated healthcare system that includes hospitals, neighborhood health centers, long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and home care services. NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is the largest hospital in Central Harlem and the only Safety Net Hospital in Northern Manhattan. This 272-bed acute care facility is a designated Level II Trauma Center, offering a full spectrum of specialty services, including a burn unit, adult intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, and cardiac care unit.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Keith Haring (b. 1958, Reading, PA, d. 1990) was one of the most iconic artists of his generation, known for his presence in street culture and political engagement with the climate of the 1980s, commenting on topics such as birth, death, sexuality, and war. Haring studied painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York, NY.
Haring’s works have been featured at the Whitney Biennial, New York, NY; Centre d’Arts Plastiques Contemporains, Bordeaux; and the São Paulo Biennial, São Paulo. He has also been the subject of posthumous retrospectives at institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; and the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.