.ART

The hard work of Dutch graffiti artist Aileen Middel, the Keith Haring Foundation, and the Stedelijk Museum, amongst others, has paid off and the cladding has finally been removed from the side of the old storage facility.

The 40-foot-tall painting is Haring’s largest painting in Europe and has been out of sight for the past thirty years. Haring completed the enormous dog-like cartoon it in just two days when he was visiting Amsterdam for an exhibition.

The mural was covered by weatherboards just a few years after it was completed. The brick exterior of the building was renovated and the mural was covered by insulation panels in order to improve climate control. The museum was storing collections in the building so a climate-controlled was paramount to the protection of the stored works.

The museum recently moved the storage to a new location and, thanks in large part to the urging of graffiti artist Aileen Middel, the mural has been restored and revealed. The Keith Haring Foundation worked with the museum, Aileen Middel and street art dealer Oliver Varossiau to uncover the virtually unscathed mural. The mural now sits on the side of a grocery store and distribution centre.