Haring or not, huge painting on sale for 99 cents

The seller is a Pennsylvania man, Ed Oswald, who believes the “Hope” painting to be an original Haring.

But his cousin Kermit Oswald, a childhood friend of Haring and one of the world’s leading authorities on his work, has long said it’s a knockoff.

As a result, the eBay listing does not claim the painting is an authentic Haring. Instead, buyers will bid on “an original painting on board from the 1980’s in a remarkable likeness and style of a Keith Haring, with a very interesting story & provenance.”

The unsigned painting is on the back of a piece of wood paneling and shows a yellow stick figure holding aloft a red heart. The word “hope” is printed within the heart’s outlines. Thick squiggles radiate outward, a Haring trademark Ed Oswald said he discovered the painting four years ago in the attic of relatives who knew Haring from childhood and bought the piece at auction in the 1980s. He said he immediately thought it to be Haring’s work.

But when he tried selling it as such in April 2005, his cousin told The Associated Press the painting was a fake.

“I don’t know the origins of the thing. I just know what it’s not,” Kermit Oswald said Friday.

Told the starting bid was 99 cents, he gave a hearty laugh and quipped: “I hope it closes at that. That would be fair.”

If deemed authentic, the painting could be worth hundreds of thou-sands of dollars, said Norb Novocin, whose Delaware-based company, Estate Auctions Inc., is handling the 10-day auction.

Haring, who grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch country, died in 1990 of AIDS at age 31. His work is marked by colorful geometric shapes, bold lines and recurring motifs such as radiating babies, animals and flying saucers. Ed Oswald said he was thrilled when he found the painting but now just wants to be rid of it.

“As far as my wife and I are concerned, it’s just a piece of art that looks like something he could have done and that’s it,” he said. “It’s just time to let it go.”

He said he’s had the piece hanging in a friend’s stall at an antiques market hoping someone who knew something about it - perhaps even the artist who painted it, if not Haring -would see it.

A few people wanted to buy it, including one who offered several thou-sand dollars, but nobody came forward to claim it as their own or give any clues about its origin, said Oswald, who thinks Haring outlined the piece and had someone else fll it in with color. Novocin said he doesn’t know how much the piece might fetch but it could draw a high bid from someone who hopes to get it authenticated.