Keith Haring, 1990 (cast 1996)
white gold patina on bronze
Keith finished the panels and then, for the first time, saw the three altar piece sections. He stared at them and was silent. Then he set to work. He cut into the clay and began to carve freeflowing lines. The images that emerged were unlike the others. They were religious: an interpretation of the life of Christ; a baby held by a pair of hands; hands ascending toward heaven; Christ on the cross. On one side panel he depicted the resurrection. On the other, a fallen angel. When Keith finished, as he stepped back and gazed at his work, he said, “Man, this is really heavy.”
When he stopped, he was exhausted, and it was the first time I realized how frail he had become. He was completely out of breath. He said, “When I’m working I’m fine, but as soon as I stop, it hits me…”
The altar was Keith’s final piece of work.
Sam Havadtoy
May, 1990
—Excerpt from: Keith Haring, Gallery 56 Exhibition Catalog (Geneva 1990)
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