4. Keith Haring’s Carmine Street Pool (1987)
Keith Haring’s iconic stick figure art may sell for millions today, but on some walls, overpasses, and public buildings around New York City, his drawings can still be viewed for free. One of these is his 1987 mural at the former Carmine Street Pool, now the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, in the West Village. As legendary DJ Junior Vasquez performed in the August heat, Haring painted a massive poolside mural above the heads of local swimmers.
The mural was created at the height of Haring’s career, only a few years before his tragic early death from AIDS. However, Haring continued to give back to the local community until he died, with the lifelong intention that his art would make people happy. He has said that painting the 170-foot mural was “one of the most incredible situations” of his career, and his dancing dolphins, fish, and mer-creatures continue to enchant and delight swimmers today. New York’s free public pools are one of the city’s truly democratic locations, where people from all walks of life come together for exercise and recreation, ensuring that the public can continue to enjoy Haring’s art for years to come.