Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February xvi, 1990) was an American creative person whose pop art emerged from the New York Metropolis graffiti subculture of the 1980s.[1] His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language".[two] Much of his work includes sexual allusions that turned into social activism by using the images to advocate for safe sex and AIDS awareness.[3] In addition to solo gallery exhibitions, Haring participated in renowned national and international group shows such asdocumenta in Kassel, the Whitney Biennial in New York, the São Paulo Biennial, and the Venice Biennale. The Whitney Museum held a retrospective of his art in 1997.

Haring'south popularity grew from his spontaneous drawings in New York City subways—chalk outlines of figures, dogs, and other stylized images on blank blackness advertizement spaces.[four] After gaining public recognition, he created colorful larger scale murals, many commissioned.[four] He produced more than than 50 public artworks between 1982 and 1989, many were created voluntarily for hospitals, day care centers, and schools. In 1986, Haring opened the Pop Shop as an extension of his work. His afterward work frequently conveyed political and societal themes— anti-crevice, anti-apartheid, rubber sex, homosexuality and AIDS—through his ain iconography.[five]

Haring died on February 16, 1990, of AIDS-related complications. In 2014, Haring was one of the inaugural honorees in the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco, a walk of fame noting LGBTQ people who have "made significant contributions in their fields." In 2019, Haring was one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument (SNM) in New York City's Stonewall Inn.

Biography

Early on life and teaching: 1958–1979

Keith Haring was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 4, 1958. He was raised in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, by his female parent, Joan Haring, and male parent, Allen Haring, an engineer and amateur cartoonist. He had three younger sisters, Kay, Karen, and Kristen.[6] He became interested in art at a very immature age, spending fourth dimension with his father producing artistic drawings.[7] His early influences included Walt Disney cartoons, Dr. Seuss, Charles Schulz, and the Looney Tunes characters inThe Bugs Bunny Show.[7]

Haring'southward family unit attended the United Church of Christ.[8] In his early teenage years, he was involved with the Jesus Movement.[9] Later, he hitchhiked beyond the land, while selling T-shirts that he made featuring the Grateful Dead and anti-Nixon shirts.[10] Haring graduated from Kutztown Area High School in 1976.[11] He studied commercial art from 1976 to 1978 at Pittsburgh's Ivy School of Professional Art, but eventually lost interest.[12] He was inspired to focus on his ain art subsequently readingThe Fine art Spirit (1923) by Robert Henri. This influenced his decision to leave the Ivy Schoolhouse.[seven]

Haring had a maintenance job at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts and was able to explore the art of Jean Dubuffet, Jackson Pollock, and Marker Tobey. He was highly influenced around this time by a 1977 retrospective of Pierre Alechinsky's work and by a lecture that the sculptor Christo gave in 1978. From Alechinsky's work, he felt encouraged to create large images that featured writing and characters. From Christo, Haring was introduced to means of incorporating the public into his art. His first important one-homo exhibition was in Pittsburgh at the Center for the Arts in 1978.[7]

Haring moved to the Lower East Side of New York in 1978 to study painting at the School of Visual Arts. He as well worked every bit a busboy during this time at the nightclub Danceteria.[13] While attending school he studied semiotics with Pecker Beckley and experimented with video and performance art. Haring was also highly influenced in his art by author William Burroughs.[vii]

In 1978, Haring wrote in his journal: "I am becoming much more aware of move. The importance of movement is intensified when a painting becomes a functioning. The performance (the act of painting) becomes as important as the resulting painting."[14]

In Dec 2007, an area of the American Cloth Building in the TriBeCa neighborhood of New York City was discovered to incorporate a Haring painting from 1979.[15]

Early on piece of work: 1980–1981

Haring get-go received public attention with his graffiti art in subways where he created white chalk drawings on a black, unused advertisement backboard in the stations.[16] He considered the subways to be his "laboratory", a place where he could experiment and create his artwork and saw the black advertizement paper as a free space and "the perfect place to describe".[17] The Radiant Baby, a crawling baby with emitting rays of lite, became his nearly recognized symbol. He used it every bit his tag to sign his work while a subway artist.[ix] Symbols and images (such as barking dogs, flying saucers, and large hearts) became common in his work and iconography. Equally a result, Haring'due south works spread quickly and he became exceedingly more recognizable.

The writings of Burroughs and Brion Gysin inspired Haring's work with lettering and words.[ten] In 1980, he created headlines from discussion juxtaposition and attached hundreds to lamp-posts around Manhattan. These included phrases like "Reagan Slain by Hero Cop" and "Pope Killed for Freed Earnest."[eighteen] That same twelvemonth, as part of his participating inThe Times Square Bear witness with one of his earliest public projects, Haring contradistinct a imprint advertisement above a subway entrance in Times Foursquare that showed a female person embracing a male person's legs, blacking-out the first letter then that it essentially read "hardon" instead of "Chardón", a French clothing brand (pictured here). He later used other forms of commercial material to spread his piece of work and letters. This included mass producing buttons and magnets to hand out and working on superlative of subway ads.[3]

In 1980, Haring began organizing exhibitions at Guild 57, which were filmed by his shut friend and lensman Tseng Kwong Chi.[19] In late 1981, Haring had his first solo exhibition at Hal Bromm Gallery in Tribeca.[20]

Breakthrough and rise to fame: 1982–1986

Haring painting a landscape at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1986

In January 1982, Haring was the starting time of twelve artists organized by Public Fine art Fund to display piece of work on the estimator-blithe Spectacolor billboard in Times Foursquare.[21] That summer, Haring created his get-go major outdoor landscape on the Houston Bowery Wall in the Lower East Side.[22] In his paintings, he often used lines to bear witness energy and movement.[23] Haring would ofttimes piece of work chop-chop, trying to create as much piece of work every bit possible—sometimes completing as many as forty paintings in a day.[14] One of his works,Untitled (1982), depicts two figures with a radiant middle-honey motif, which critics have interpreted equally a boldness in homosexual dear and a pregnant cultural statement.[23]

In 1982, Haring participated indocumenta 7 in Kassel, where his work were exhibited alongside Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, Cy Twombly, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol.[24] In October 1982, he had an exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery with his collaborator graffiti artist Affections "LA 2" Ortiz.[25] That yr, he was in several grouping exhibitions includingFast at Alexander Milliken Gallery in New York City.[26]

In 1983, Haring participated in the São Paulo Biennale in Brazil, the Whitney Biennial in New York.[27] [28] He as well had a solo exhibition at the Fun Gallery in the East Village, Manhattan in February 1983.[29] While Haring was in London for the opening of his exhibition at the Robert Fraser Gallery in 1983, he met and began collaborating with chorographer Pecker T. Jones. Haring used Jones' body every bit the canvass to paint from head to toe.[30]

Haring and Affections "LA Two" Ortiz produced a T-shirt design for friends Willi Smith and Laurie Mallet'due south habiliment label WilliWear Productions in 1984.[31] Haring likewise collaborated with fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. After Haring was profiled inPaper magazine, Westwood reached out to editor-in-chief Kim Hastreiter to facilitate a coming together. Haring presented Westwood with two big sheets of drawings and she turned them into textiles for her Fall/Winter 1983-84 Witches collection.[32] Haring's friend Madonna wore a skirt from the drove, well-nigh notably in the music video her 1984 unmarried "Deadline."[33]

In 1984, Haring was included in the Venice Biennale.[27] That twelvemonth, Haring visited Australia and painted murals in Melbourne at Collingwood College, Victoria and in Sydney.[34] He received a commission from the National Gallery of Victoria and the Australian Eye for Contemporary Fine art to create a mural which temporarily replaced the water mantle at the National Gallery.[35] He also painted murals at the Walker Art Heart in Minneapolis and in Rio de Janeiro.[36]

Haring's swift ascension to international celebrity status was covered by the media. His fine art covered the February 1984 result ofVanity Fair, and he was featured in the October 1984 outcome ofNewsweek.[37] [38] Haring fabricated art for various art institutions, nightclubs, such as the Palladium in Manhattan, and MTV set decorations.[9] He also made a painting for the Alive Assist concert at J.F.Yard. Stadium in Philadelphia.[39] Haring continued to be politically active, designingCostless South Africa posters in 1985.[xl]

Barking canis familiaris sculpture by Haring in Dortmund, Germany

In the jump of 1986, Haring had his first solo museum exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, where he likewise painted a mural.[41] In June 1986, he created the bannerCityKids Speak on Liberty in conjunction with The CityKids Foundation to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the Statue of Liberty'south arrival in the United States.[42] In October 1986, Haring created a mural on the Berlin Wall for the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. The landscape was 300 meters long and depicted red and black interlocking human figures against a xanthous groundwork. The colors were a representation of the German flag and symbolized the hope of unity betwixt East and W Frg.[43] That year, Haring likewise created public murals in the lobby and ambulatory care department of Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center on Flushing Avenue, Brooklyn.[44]

Haring collaborated with Grace Jones, whom he had met through Andy Warhol. Haring painted Jones' body for her video "I'g Not Perfect" and live performances at the Paradise Garage.[45] Haring also painted Jones' for her function of Katrina the Queen of The Vampires in the 1986 filmVamp.[46] Haring collaborated with David Spada, a jewelry designer, to design the sculptural adornments for Jones.[47]

Haring illustrated vinyl covers for various artists such as David Bowie'due south "Without You lot" (1983), N.Y.C. Peech Boys'Life Is Something Special (1983), Malcolm McLaren's "Duck For The Oyster" (1983), and Sylvester's "Someone Like Y'all" (1986).[48]

In 1986, Haring created hisCleft is Wack landscape in East Harlem, visible from New York's FDR Drive.[12] It was originally considered as vandalism by the New York Law Department and Haring was arrested. Merely afterward local media outlets picked upwardly the story, Haring was released on a bottom accuse. While in jail, Haring'south original work was vandalized. This landscape is an example of Haring's use of consciousness raising rather than consumerism, "Crack is Wack" rather than "Coke is it."[49] He subsequently made an updated version of the mural on the same wall.[50]

Pop Store: 1986

Haring painting a mural at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1986

In April 1986, Pop Shop was opened in Soho and made Haring'due south work readily attainable to purchase at reasonable prices, though he was highly criticized for the commercialization of his work.[51] [v] Shirts, posters, and other items showing his piece of work were sold there.[52] The Pop Shop remained open up afterwards Haring'due south death and profits go to the Keith Haring Foundation.[52] When asked about the capitalism of his work, Haring stated: "I could earn more money if I just painted a few things and jacked up the cost. My shop is an extension of what I was doing in the subway stations, breaking down the barriers between loftier and low art."[53]

Commercialization allowed Haring'due south fine art to be easier and more affordable to ain.[54] Throughout his career, Haring fabricated his art widely available through the location of his subway art and art on billboards, also as through the Pop Store.[54] His attempts to make his work relatable and accessible to a wide audition tin can too be seen in his figures non having discernable ages, races, or identities.[9] Past the arrival of Pop Shop, his work began reflecting more socio-political themes, such equally anti-Apartheid, AIDS awareness, and the crack cocaine epidemic.[5]

Terminal years and death: 1987–1990

Haring was openly gay and used his work to advocate for safe sex. He was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1987.[5] [10] That twelvemonth, Haring had his own exhibitions in Helsinki, Antwerp, Paris, and elsewhere. While in Paris for the 10th ceremony exhibition of American artists at the Eye Georges Pompidou, Haring and his lover Juan Rivera painted heTower landscape on an 88-human foot high exterior stairwell at the Necker Children's Hospital in Paris.[55] [56] In August, Haring painted a large mural at the Carmine Recreation Center's outdoor pool in the West Village.[57] [58]

Haring designed the cover for the 1987 benefit albumA Very Special Christmas and the Run-DMC single "Christmas In Hollis".[48] The image for theA Very Special Christmas compilation album consists of a typical Haring figure holding a babe. Its "Jesus iconography" is considered unusual in modern rock holiday albums.[59]

In 1988, Haring joined a select grouping of artists whose piece of work has appeared on the label of Chateau Mouton Rothschild wine.[60] In December, his exhibition opened at the Shafrazi Gallery. Haring stated that was his well-nigh of import show to date. Because of his health condition and the deaths of his friends Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he felt he had something to testify.[61]

From 1982 to 1989, Haring was featured in more 100 solo and group exhibitions and produced more than than fifty public artworks in dozens of charities, hospitals, day care centers, and orphanages.[62] He used his imagery during the last years of his life to speak about his illness and to generate activism and awareness about AIDS.[5]

In February 1989, Haring painted theTodos Juntos Podemos Parar el SIDA landscape in the drug-infested Barrio Chino neighborhood of Barcelona to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic.[63] In May, Haring was invited by the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Middle to create a work at their new location at 208 West 13th Street. He chose the second-floor men's room for hisOnce Upon a Fourth dimension… mural.[64] In June, he painted theTuttomondo mural on the rear wall of the convent of the Sant'Antonio Abate church in Pisa.[65]

Haring criticized the avoidance of social issues such as AIDS through a piece chosenRebel with Many Causes (1989) that revolves around a theme of "hear no evil, run into no evil, speak no evil".[66] During the last week of Nov, Haring painted a mural at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena for "A Day Without Art". The mural was commemorated on Dec 1, the second annual AIDS Awareness Day. He commemorated the mural on December 1, World AIDS 24-hour interval, and told theLos Angeles Times: "My life is my art, it's intertwined….When AIDS became a reality in terms of my life, it started becoming a field of study in my paintings. The more it affected my life the more than it affected my work."[5]

Haring died of AIDS-related complications on Feb xvi, 1990.[67] He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in a field nearly Bowers, Pennsylvania, just s of his hometown Kutztown.[68] Three months after his death, Haring posthumously appeared in Rosa von Praunheim's documentary filmSilence = Expiry about gay artists in New York City fighting for the rights of AIDS sufferers. It was released on May 4, which would accept been his 32nd birthday.[69]

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