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Over 1,000 people attended his memorial service at the Cathedral of St. Keith Haring died at the age of 31 on 16th February 1990 due to AIDS-related complications. He spent the final years of his life discussing his own diagnosis and attempting to increase awareness and activism through his art. This provided funding and artwork to organizations associated with the disease, as well as children’s programs. Haring himself was sadly diagnosed with AIDS in 1988 and established the Keith Haring Foundation the following year. He also made works in response to the AIDS epidemic, intending to promote safe sex and break down the stigma surrounding conversation about the disease. The work depicted two figures in front of a large red heart, and was considered to be a bold nod to homosexual love. During this decade, he produced over 50 public artworks, usually conveying social and political messages.Īs an openly gay man, Haring was the subject of criticism-particularly for his 1982 piece, Untitled. This was followed the following year by a critically acclaimed solo exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery. Throughout the 1980s, Haring took part in numerous exhibitions, hosting his first solo display in New York in 1981. Referring to the subway system as his “laboratory”, he successfully communicated with a mass audience and quickly attracted recognition through mass producing his own buttons and magnets to hand out to the public. His experimentations led to the development of his signature style, created with simple yet rapidly drawn lines, between 19. This ultimately gave him the inspiration to create his own artwork in subways, producing hundreds of these public drawings in chalk.
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Haring was inspired by Andy Warhol, who he described as being the “first real public artist”, as well as Robert Henri’s manifesto, The Art Spirit, which emphasized the independence of the artist. During this time, he befriended fellow artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf, as well as musicians and other creatives thriving within the community. In that same year, Haring moved to New York City to enroll in the School of Visual Arts (SVA) and integrated himself into the buzzing alternative art scene developing in the subways, clubs, and dance halls. Instead, he started studying and working independently, eventually hosting his first solo exhibition at the Pittsburgh Arts and Crafts Center in 1978.
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He also printed his own anti-Nixon shirts to sell.Īfter high school, Haring attended the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, but dropped out after two semesters after realizing he wasn’t interested in commercial art. By 1977, Haring had witnessed his first Grateful Dead show, and sold his own bootleg t-shirts to his fellow Deadheads, which became his first publicly sold art.
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Developing his drawing skills with his father’s help, he took inspiration from Walt Disney, Dr Seuss, and Looney Tunes cartoons.ĭuring the 70s, Haring was involved with the Jesus Movement, which impacted his own ideologies and artwork-beginning with his own Radiant Child “tag” he left in New York City subway stations. As such, it’s no surprise he became interested in art from an early age. Keith Haring was born on 4th May 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania to parents Joan and Allen Haring, an amateur cartoonist. Explore the Keith Haring art we have for sale here at ArtLife. As such, his limited works in the public domain are of incredibly high value. Since his death in 1990, his legacy continues to influence filmmakers, musicians and more, with a profound impact on contemporary popular culture. Haring’s talent and popularity earned him plenty of famous friends including Andy Warhol, Grace Jones, and Madonna. He created vibrant, colorful motifs and thought-provoking pieces commenting on the political and social themes of the time-particularly homosexuality and AIDS, which he was diagnosed with in 1988. He produced hundreds of public drawings between 19 which quickly became familiar to New Yorkers commuting through the city. At the start of the decade, he began leaving chalk drawings in New York subway stations after noticing the unused advertising panels covered in matte black paper. Keith Haring was an American artist involved in the much-celebrated New York art scene of the 1980s.