Throughout much of his career, Keith Haring was captivated by Walt Disney cartoons, often sketching Mickey Mouse images on subway walls and in clubs throughout New York City during the 1980s. Despite the fact that Haring’s renditions of the cartoon character were not necessarily approved by Disney, it was revealed that there was nearly a collaboration between Disney and Haring during the artist’s lifetime.
In the upcoming book “Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring” by biographer Brad Gooch, it is disclosed that Haring did indeed receive a letter from Walt Disney Studios while he was battling AIDS-related illnesses in 1990. Although news of the letter had been reported as early as 1997 by critic Ingrid Sischy, the specifics of the proposal were not widely known until now.
The letter, as reported by Gooch, arrived during Haring’s final days as he received oxygen and intravenous fluids in his New York apartment. According to the biography, Disney was interested in collaborating with Haring, something the artist had long hoped for. Specifically, Disney was considering a project that would showcase “Mickey Mouse through the eyes of Keith Haring,” as stated by Gooch.
Julia Gruen, Haring’s close friend and the current executive director of his foundation, read the letter to the artist, who was at that point drifting in and out of consciousness. However, Haring did not believe the letter was authentic, so he dismissed it, and given his condition, an official collaboration with Disney was not feasible. Gooch notes that Haring rejected the letter, suspecting that Gruen had attempted to deceive him in an effort to alleviate some of his suffering.
Nevertheless, the Disney/Haring project came to fruition posthumously.
In 2021, the Keith Haring Foundation and Disney partnered to create Swatch watches, Uniqlo T-shirts, Coach bags, and other items featuring the artist’s Mickey Mouse artwork. This marked the first official collaboration between the two entities, and they promoted the project as a realization of Haring’s childhood aspiration to be like Walt Disney.
“When we partner with Disney, we can bring his artwork to life through a new medium and continue to celebrate his lasting influence on the arts community and future generations,” the foundation stated when the partnership was announced in 2020.
