On October, 9th 1982, Keith Haring had his first solo show at Tony Shafrazi Gallery. The show was a huge success and a key moment in his career. The cover of the catalogue was with a 3 eyed face, to become one of his most iconic images.

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He explained that he did a mural in 1981  with a 2 eyed face. He realized too late that the eyes were too far off center.  So he “added a third eye and all of a sudden it was profound that there was a third eye. By repeating it later, people just assumed it was an intentional thing”.

Basquiat’s comment is based on his quote “My first instinct would be to do a head” that he illustrates with emojis about Keith and him. 

His friend Kenny Scharf refers to the success of the opening, the previous day.
 

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Sources:

Haring By Alexandra Kolossa, 2004

Keith Haring, Jeffrey Deitch, Julia Gruen, 2008 

Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art, Phoebe Hoban, 2008  

What Makes 1982 Basquiat’s Most Valuable Year, Artsy, Apr 1, 2018