At the time, the club scene had its own art rigid taxonomy. CBGB was for punks; Max’s Kansas City, which had been for Warhol Superstars, was on its way out; the was for “No Wave” misfits and their where the radiant baby hard-partying hangers-on. In the basement of that Polish church on St. Marks, yet an- was born in a basement on other species thrived, one that overlapped with the Mudd Club crowd but was young- st. marks place, keith er, scrappier, sillier, and more earnestly ex- perimental than the rest. Scharf and Mag- haring became . nuson’s crowd watched monster movies, by rachel wolff read poetry, threw doo-wop dance parties, staged musical revues, played putt-putt, eith haring’s breakthrough exhibition was at ’s Soho space mounted art shows, and, on one occasion, in 1982, and from then on his fame was secure. But that’s the end, not the hosted a ladies’ wrestling night where the beginning, of the Brooklyn Museum’s new show “Keith Haring 1978–1982.” contenders dressed up as cockroaches and For the five years before that, Haring was merely one of the crowd hanging nuns. Part basement den, part art gallery, out in a church-basement rec room on St. Marks Place. It was called Club part Dada cabaret, was an ephem- 57, named for its street address, and the Brooklyn Museum’s show is devoted eral, anything-goes environment where art- to the art he made during this time—the experimental sketches, collages, ists and performers had carte blanche to and video works that helped shape the pithy, singular visual language with which we’ve test-drive their wildest dreams. It lasted

K no m i, entrance) ( m agnuson, wang (haring); harvey zkodzinski come to associate him today. It was, remembers the artist —a close friend only from 1978 to 1983. There was barely of both Haring and , who presided over the club as den mother–artistic any money involved. Most events were director—a place where “art merged with punk rock and lost its preciousness.” Out in one-night-only. L.A., he and Magnuson recently staged a small exhibition of Club 57–related photo- By day, Haring worked obsessively in his graphs and ephemera at the Royal/T boutique and gallery, with an eye toward bringing studio at the and, the show to New York. “Suddenly, it wasn’t this thing on a pedestal later, in the Lower East Side (Painting My- keith haring but something you can play with and dance with and smash. When 1978–1982 self Into a Corner, for instance, a 1979 vid- you don’t take yourself too seriously, it allows for a lot of magic and brooklyn museum. eo work on view at the Brooklyn, shows the through july 8.

fun stuff to happen.” artist frenziedly blanketing his studio floor © A nn Magnuson (flyer); of the keith haring foundation courtesy photographs: C arrithers robert logo); 57 (club of ann m agnuson keeny scharf/courtesy (calendar); S Joseph brothers); (batsui

1 new york | april 2, 2012 with interlocking shapes until he is stuck From left, checking in at Club 57; flyer for pened to be up when the bishop of the curled up in the only unpainted patch that “Tribute to Gloria Vanderbilt,” by Keith church upstairs paid his “youth group” a Haring; Drew Straub and Kenny Scharf, remained). But come dusk, he was often performing as the Batusi Brothers; the events rare visit. “I just remember everyone out on the town with fellow SVA students calendar for August 1980; Ann Magnuson scrambling, screaming, ‘Take down the pe- Scharf and John McLaughlin (a.k.a. John works the door; performer ; Keith nises!’ ” Scharf says with a laugh. Magnu- Sex) and his roommate at the time, artist Haring onstage in 1980; the club’s logo. son, fortunately, swooped in and escorted and writer Drew Straub. They came upon him out before he saw too much. Club 57 one evening in 1979 after meeting Things started to change around 1982. for drinks at the nearby Holiday Cocktail Sets were crafted out of cardboard boxes Steve Mass, proprietor of the significantly Lounge (which, after a long twilight, closed and furniture plucked off East Village more profitable Mudd Club, hired away down just this year). Haring and his curbs and tossed out yet again immedi- several regulars, Scharf and Haring among friends were drawn in by the sixties go-go ately after the show. Props came from them. Magnuson left New York to be in music blasting form the jukebox. Magnu- thrift stores and often went back the next movies. Haring’s energetic subway draw- son popped up from behind the bar, and day. ings found a following, and he was signed to they all started to dance. During Club 57’s short heyday, Haring Shafrazi. International acclaim followed. “My vision was that it was like a giant would hop onstage and read poems in “Suddenly money got in the picture, and television set,” Magnuson says, “and every Morse code; Scharf and Straub per- that changed everything,” Scharf says. “It night is a different channel.” She fielded formed as the Batusi Brothers, the world’s created a bit of a panic with everyone. Like, ideas from friends and friends of friends. cheesiest act; and Magnuson ‘Oh boy, I better get on that train before that “It was one gigantic Yes!” she says. “There developed an alter ego named Anoushka, train is gone.’ Money kind of ruined it.” Then were no barriers to what you did as long as a sultry Russian lounge singer for whom aids. (Haring died in 1990, at 31.) you could do it on little to no money.” the crowd went mad. Found refrigerator When it comes to Keith, what Magnuson Regulars got cards declaring they were boxes were transformed into a shanty- remembers most is his giving nature. “At “members,” a technicality that allowed town and putt-putt course; the Magnu- the beginning, no one had any money, so he Club 57 to serve liquor. Magnuson stocked son-helmed Ladies Auxiliary Club of the would trade or give his art away. One of our the bar with three or four bottles of miscel- Lower East Side hosted proms and Club 57 core members recently sold a piece laneous booze, plus beer bought in bulk sleepover parties; and offered of his to pay off their house. We knew he from nearby discounters. The minuscule up an avant-garde take on burlesque. would have been okay with that. He loved budget was less hindrance than challenge, Haring had his first New York art show hanging out with Andy Warhol and all that, forcing artists and performers to get cre- at Club 57 and curated many others, in- but he’d give you the shirt of his back. Usu- ative with the very few resources they had. cluding a sex-themed exhibition that hap- ally the one with the radiant baby on it.” n

april 2, 2012 | new york 2