Arts & Entertainment
Artist Who Left Hearts On NYC Streets Mourned By Friends And Fans
Friends and family gathered to remember Hesh Halper, an artist who drew chalk hearts on New York City's sidewalks and walls.
GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — Some knew him as Hash, and others, Hesh. Many knew him as New York Romantic: the street artist who jotted over 100,000 chalk hearts on the city's sidewalks and walls up until his death on June 11, 2021.
Exactly one month later, family and friends gathered on a balmy Sunday afternoon at Washington Square Park for Hesh Halper's memorial.
Halper's loved ones embraced one another, held a silent meditation, passed chalk to engaged passersby and recalled stories of the passionate and intrepid street artist who spread messages of positivity across New York City, but especially around his stomping grounds in Lower Manhattan's Soho and East Village.
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By the early afternoon, chalk hearts completely filled the area surrounding the Washington Square fountain.
"I spoke to him almost every night of the pandemic," said his mother, Hana, a holistic health coach, at the memorial. "Recently Hesh said to me, 'I draw hearts because I really care and want people to have more love in their life.' My son Hesh deeply believed that loving kindness is the way. Everyone needs more love, more kindness, more understanding and more forgiveness. It was his intention with the drawing of hearts and his paintings to elevate humanity."
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At the age of 41, Halper died after jumping from the Brooklyn Bridge. When Halper didn't appear for his scheduled exhibit on June 10 at the Triangle Loft in the Meatpacking District, there was cause for concern.
One of his closest friends and a fellow artist, who goes by Mo, was one of the last to see Halper.
"For him to actually miss his show...," said Mo, trailing off. "We were hanging out, I believe Wednesday. I was like, 'He'll show up, late, probably, as per usual, but definitely he would be present. When it came down to the [art] hanging time and he wasn't there, I called the show and I still wasn't able to reach him. And he jumped the following day."
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Halper was buried in his hometown in Philadelphia, according to a close friend.
In an Instagram post, Art of Our Century released a statement about Halper, who held a solo show at the art gallery this past February.
A friend of Halper's, who said she helped him attain several paid gigs and helped with his social media, wrote to Patch about Halper, but wished to remain anonymous:
"I would always tell people about him because I was so impressed by his art," she said.
"He was so creative, yet his art was so very simple. His passion was all about spreading the message of love. Hash didn’t care about followers and likes, or becoming famous. He just had this unbelievable passion for art and all he wanted to do was see people smile.
"He was a pure artist, but had no desire to sell his art; he mainly only used chalk and just drew on the street.
'...He was all about spreading his positive energy no matter the circumstances, trying to help our New Yorkers get through the world changing event of Covid-19."
New York Romantic-branded shirts were still on display at the Triangle Loft on June 15.
Halper's Facebook page tells a tale of an artist who loved sharing his artwork, spreading positivity in turbulent times and opining about worldly matters — from Black Lives Matter and the killing of George Floyd to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the tribulations endured by First Nation people.
"He allowed the pain of current events to go through him," said Mo. "Not in a way that he was upset in a depressive state, but he would say, 'I'm not working hard enough.' And that led to the big, giant hearts [on] the sidewalk and the streets, which he started doing recently in the last two, three years.
"There's a graduation point in the artist realm where you have no choice after you've mastered your thing but to go big. And he was doing everything he was supposed to do as a New York City artist."
Halper may be best known for his smaller, ubiquitous chalk hearts that started appearing in New York City's landscapes in 2014. He was profiled by The New York Times for them in 2018. Oftentimes he drew up to hundreds of hearts on streets, sidewalks and walls in one go. But Halper also expressed his romantic interpretations of shooting stars, fireworks, time, dreams and peace.
In an article written by Jose Fresan in May, Halper shared his reason for drawing all those chalk hearts: a woman he fell in love with.
"MSB. He would tag her initials everywhere—MSB, MSB," said Mo. "That stemmed from a broken heart. As a romantic, it's been one of his biggest regrets. But it progressed to a very interesting way of catcalling, huh?"
A post on Halper's Facebook page with his artwork—one red heart boldly painted over a black expanse—is accompanied by the caption: “My first love, first woman friend, broke up with because she said i was too deep”
"He had more of a connection to the women in his life," added Mo. "What he would say is—'There was always something romantic about women.'"
Halper has curated artwork and displayed his own at locales such as Village Works, the Bushwick Generator and Art of Our Century, where he showed 200 oil paintings of his trademark hearts. His debut show, titled "Old York Road" was at WhiteBox.
Mo recalled Halper's run-ins with the law: "He's been arrested countless times and one time after he was arrested, he says, 'Well, these guys may own the buildings, but they don't own the streets. I'm gonna own the streets.
"He also had a fine art element to his work where he studied under and learned from countless artists," continued Mo. "And he was just perfecting his color palette, and bringing it from the streets to fine art."
Last May, Halper had written in a Facebook post that he was collecting photos of his artwork for a book.
On June 2, a statement was posted on the artist's Facebook page stating:"Although it’s difficult, I remain dedicated to drawing hearts. Keep the #dream of #love romantic. We all want some credit or appreciation for our life and work."
The last post on the page was made on July 28, 2020: "Do u want chalk art/hearts for your store/restaurant/coffee shop/event or to send a birthday wish or anniversary!?! Affordable rates, guaranteed business and good vibration!"
Close friends mourn the loss of an individual they saw as an "empath" and "light worker."
"That's just another reason why this is hard to swallow," said Mo. "He had such a connection with his spirituality that I just can't imagine him doing something like this."
Friends and family members are already at work to install a permanent memorial to pay homage to the late artist.
According to Halper's fundraiser, Halper is survived by his mother Hana Nan Halper, his father Eliot Lewis and five siblings—Mick, Omkar, Asher, Este and Sara.
Halper's family will not be commenting during this time of mourning.
Below are photos—and a video around the fountain of all the chalk hearts—of Sunday's memorial for Hesh/Hash Halper at Washington Square Park :
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