Keith Haring
Poster for Nuclear Disarmament, (Date unknown)
Keith Haring, the street artist who famously declared that “art is for everybody,” started …
Offset-lithograph on heavy glazed paper
Literature: Deitch, Jeffrey, Suzanne Geiss and Julia Gruen. …
Bridging the gap between the art world and the street, Keith Haring rose to prominence in the early 1980s with his graffiti drawings made in the subways and on the sidewalks of New York City. Combining the appeal of cartoons with the raw energy of Art Brut artists like Jean DuBuffet, Haring developed a distinct pop-graffiti aesthetic centered on fluid, bold outlines against a dense, rhythmic overspread of imagery like that of babies, barking dogs, flying saucers, hearts, and Mickey Mouse. In his subway drawings and murals, Haring explored themes of exploitation, subjugation, drug abuse, and rising fears of nuclear holocaust, which became increasingly apocalyptic after his AIDS diagnosis. Alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, and Jenny Holzer, Haring is regarded as a leading figure in New York East Village Art scene in the 1970s and '80s.
Keith Haring, the street artist who famously declared that “art is for everybody,” started designing posters in 1982, while he was still a student at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Haring was drawn to posters because they were a democratic medium—a great way to share his bright designs and graphic characters …
Offset-lithograph on heavy glazed paper
Literature: Deitch, Jeffrey, Suzanne Geiss and Julia Gruen. Keith Haring. 2008, New York, Rizzoli, pp.228 – 231, illustrated p.230
Bridging the gap between the art world and the street, Keith Haring rose to prominence in the early 1980s with his graffiti drawings made in the subways and on the sidewalks of New York City. Combining the appeal of cartoons with the raw energy of Art Brut artists like Jean DuBuffet, Haring developed a distinct pop-graffiti aesthetic centered on fluid, bold outlines against a dense, rhythmic overspread of imagery like that of babies, barking dogs, flying saucers, hearts, and Mickey Mouse. In his subway drawings and murals, Haring explored themes of exploitation, subjugation, drug abuse, and rising fears of nuclear holocaust, which became increasingly apocalyptic after his AIDS diagnosis. Alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, and Jenny Holzer, Haring is regarded as a leading figure in New York East Village Art scene in the 1970s and '80s.
