Keith Haring's Hospital Mural

A 700-foot Keith Haring mural stretches through the corridors of Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn — one of those hidden treasures that most New Yorkers never see. The city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation once set aside a percentage of its budget for emerging art, and after saving through the 1960s and 70s, they went on a buying spree. Haring painted this piece over three days in 1986.

Woodhull sits at the crossroads of Bushwick and Bed-Stuy — an underfunded public hospital in a neighborhood that was rough for decades. That context makes the mural all the more remarkable. Private hospitals across the country boast impressive art collections, but Woodhull is among the only public hospitals in America with work by modern masters — 700 individual pieces in total.

The Haring mural was cleaned and restored in 2007. The hospital has reportedly continued offering services in exchange for artist work — a quiet tradition that would have suited Haring’s spirit perfectly.

Location: Woodhull Hospital, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11206