Keith Haring was just 31 years old when he passed away on February 16, 1990. Now, a mural by the late artist that was hidden and lost for years is the highlight of a loft in Tribeca that’s selling for $25 million.
‘It Was Like Discovering an Egyptian Tomb’
In 1979, when Haring was still a student at Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts (SVA), he created a mural inside what was then the lower level of the school, which was being used as a gallery.
“Now that flowing, monochromatic, graphic artwork is for sale as part of a stylish luxury loft that grew up around it in the decades since,” the New York Times reported earlier this month. Indeed, the dwelling where the piece can be found has hit the market for $25 million.
“The 8,000-square-foot maisonette sits inside the American Thread Building at 260 West Broadway, a Renaissance Revival landmark built in 1896,” according to the New York Post. Ian Slater, Michael Koeneke and Eduardo Martinez of Trove Partners at Compass are representing the listing.
The Post notes that the mural features Haring’s “trademark tangle of lines” stretching “across two walls, the ceiling and a cast iron column that helps hold up the building.” It was created with “a homemade concoction of black shoe polish and alcohol” as opposed to traditional (and often pricey) art supplies, which would have been rather inaccessible for the young, unknown artist.
Although the piece is considered a rare find these days, it “very nearly vanished,” The Post pointed out. “After SVA cleared out in the early 1980s, the space was turned into a restaurant and the mural was sealed behind sheetrock, where it sat in the dark for decades. That cover turned out to be a lucky break, shielding the fragile work until the unit’s previous owners tore into the walls during a 2007 renovation and found it largely intact.”
In fact, architects Todd Ernst and Frank Servidio, who worked on the reno, had heard that there might be a hidden Haring mural, and “[a]s soon as they got the job in 2001, [they] began to search, and it didn’t take long to confirm the rumor,” according to New York Magazine. Ernst stated, “It was like discovering an Egyptian tomb.”
This Is a Rare Opportunity to ‘Own an Irreplaceable Work’
The loft’s current owner, Adam Zoia, CEO of Glocap Tech, bought the residence in 2021, and embarked on a two-year renovation that focused, in part, on protecting the mural, which The Keith Haring Foundation has reportedly confirmed is an unsigned piece by the artist.
Now, a treasured part of the home — and not fully uncovered, which presents a unqiue and enticing opportunity for the potential new owner(s) — the piece can’t be removed or sold apart from the dwelling, and when it comes to its potential worth, Slater explained to The Post, “You can put a price on real estate, but it’s nearly impossible to put a value on something this rare.’
Slater added, “What makes this property so exceptional is that the artwork is inseparable from the home itself, creating a rare opportunity for a buyer to own an irreplaceable work by an artist of such significance.”
Keith Haring Mural Hidden for Decades Selling With $25 Million Tribeca Loft — See the Priceless One-Of-A-Kind Artwork