"KeithHaring&Popart,GraffitiArt"

KeithHaring:(May4,1958–February16,1990)

wasanartistandsocialactivistwhoseworkresponded

totheNewYorkCitystreetcultureofthe1980s.

BorninReading,Pennsylvania,HaringgrewupinKutztown

andwasinterestedinartfromanearlyage.

From1976to1978hestudiedgraphicdesignatTheIvySchoolof

ProfessionalArtacommercialandfineartschoolinPittsburgh.

Atage19Haring,movedtoNewYorkCity

wherehewasinspiredbygraffitiart,andstudiedattheSchoolofVisualArts.

[edit]Career

Haringachievedhisfirstpublicattentionwithchalkdrawingsinthe

subwaysofNewYork(seepublicart).

Thesewerehisfirstrecognizedpiecesofpopart.

TheexhibitionswerefilmedbythephotographerTsengKwongChi.

Aroundthistime,"TheRadiantbaby"becamehissymbol.

Hisboldlinesvividcolors,andactivefigurescarrystrongmessagesoflifeandunity.

Startingin1980,heorganizedexhibitionsinClub57.

HeparticipatedintheTimesSquareExhibitionanddrew

forthefirsttime,animalsandhumanfaces.

In1981hesketchedhisfirstchalkdrawingsonblackpaperand

paintedplasticmetalandfoundobjects.

HaringcontributedtotheNewYorkNewWavedisplayin1981

andin1982hehadhisfirstexclusiveexhibitionintheTonyShafraziGallery.

Thatsameyear,HaringtookpartinDocumenta7inKassel,Germany.

By1982,heestablishedfriendshipswithfellowemergingartists

Futura2000,KennyScharf,MadonnaandJean-MichelBasquiat.

HetookpartintheWhitneyBiennialin1983,aswellasintheSãoPauloBiennial.

HegottoknowAndyWarhol,whowasthethemeofseveralof

Haring’spiecesincluding"AndyMouse."

HisfriendshipwithWarholwouldprovetobeadecisiveelement

inhiseventualsuccess,particularlyaftertheirdeaths.

[edit]Internationalart

In1984,HaringvisitedAustraliaandpaintedwallmuralsinMelbourne

(suchasthe1984’Detail-MuralatCollingwoodCollege,Victoria‘thatisduefordemolition)

andSydneyandreceivedaAU$1000commissionfromtheNationalGalleryofVictoria

andtheAustralianCentreforContemporaryArttocreateamural,basedonhisgraffitidesigns

whichtemporarilyreplacedthewatercurtainattheNationalGallery.

HealsovisitedandpaintedinRiodeJaneiro,

theParisMuseumofModernArt,MinneapolisandManhattan.

Heevendesignedajacketwornbyapink-wiggedMadonnaforaperformanceofhersong"

LikeaVirgin"fortheTVdanceprogramSolidGold.

In1985Haringstartedtopaintcanvas.Simultaneously,theMuseumofModern

ArtinBordeauxopenedanexhibitionofhisworks,andtookpartintheParisBiennial.

HemadeanappearanceonMTVinNovember1985,paintingthesetduringa"guestVJ"

specialhostedbyhisfriend,keyboardistNickRhodesofDuranDuran.

In1986HaringpaintedmuralsinAmsterdam,Paris,Phoenix

andinBerlinontheBerlinWallatBrandenburgGate.

Aswell,hepaintedthebodyofGraceJonesforhermusicvideo"I’mNotPerfect."

andopenedaretailstoreinSoHocalledPopShop,sellingmerchandisebearing

hisiconicimagesincludingt-shirts,toys,postersandotherobjects

withreproductionsofhisart;theoutletclosedin2005.

HaringalsocreatedadvertisingimagesforAbsolutvodkaandSwatchwatches.

Whenaskedaboutthe"commercialism"ofhiswork,Mr.Haringsaid:

"IcouldearnmoremoneyifIjustpaintedafewthingsandjackeduptheprice.

MyshopisanextensionofwhatIwasdoinginthesubwaystations

breakingdownthebarriersbetweenhighandlowart."

BythearrivalofPopShop,hisworkbeganreflectingmoresocio-politicalthemes

suchasanti-Apartheid,AIDSawareness,andthecrackcocaineepidemic.

Heevencreatedseveralpopartpiecesinfluencedbyotherproducts:

AbsolutVodka,LuckyStrikecigarettes,andCoca-Cola.

In1987hehadhisownexhibitionsinHelsinkiandAntwerp,amongothers.

HealsodesignedthecoverforthebenefitalbumAVerySpecialChristmas

onwhichMadonnawasincluded.

In1988hejoinedaselectgroupofartistswhoseworkhasappeared

onthelabelofChateauMoutonRothschildwine.

Haringalsocreatedapublicmuralintheambulatorycaredepartmentof

WoodhullMedicalandMentalHealthCenteronFlushingAvenue,Brooklyn.