Keith Haring in 5 Artworks

1. How It All Began

From a young age, Keith Haring was passionate about drawing. He learned how to create cartoons from his father that were equally inspired by popular culture around him like Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney. After high school in 1976, Haring went to the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, but he quickly realized he didn’t want to become a commercial artist making ads and logos.

After leaving school, he moved to New York City and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts. New York was full of exciting new art, especially in the streets and subway stations, where artists were creating something different from art in museums and galleries. Haring became friends with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf and became involved in the city’s energetic art scene. He started taking part in art shows and performances at places like Club 57, where young artists shared their ideas in creative and unusual ways.

2. Art in Transit

In the early 1980s, Haring started drawing with white chalk on empty black advertising panels in the New York subway system. Between 1980 and 1985, he made hundreds of these bold, fast sketches using simple, moving lines. People riding the train began to notice, and many would stop just to watch him work or talk to him while he drew. For Haring, the subway wasn’t just a place to pass through. He described it as a “laboratory” where he could test out his ideas and share them with everyone. Still, police viewed it as vandalism, and Haring was arrested on several occasions because of it.

3. Art For Everyone

Keith Haring loved working with children and organizations that empowered young people. He painted in children’s hospitals around the world, including the famous Necker Children’s Hospital in Paris. Haring admired children because they are creative, funny, open-minded, and not afraid to express themselves. He believed art should bring people together, so he encouraged young people to create art as a team. In 1986, he worked with 900 kids to paint a huge mural celebrating the centenary of the Statue of Liberty. The project was presented in Battery Park City, New York.

4. A Thriving New York Scene

While living in New York’s East Village, Keith Haring became part of a huge underground art scene filled with creative people, musicians, and performers. Haring and Madonna became close friends, and when she invited him to her wedding, he brought Andy Warhol. With growing popularity, he started working with fashion designers and musicians such as Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. One of his most unique collaborations was with Grace Jones, whose body he painted with his bold graffiti-style art for live performances. He also appeared in her music video for the song “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect for You)”.

5. Art That Speaks Up

Besides being remembered as a remarkable artist, Haring was also a prominent activist. His art spoke about real-world problems such as Apartheid, drug abuse, and the AIDS epidemic. As an openly gay artist, Keith Haring also created artworks about the struggles faced by the LGBTQ community and supported equal rights for everyone.

Despite looking fun and energetic from the outside, many of Haring’s artworks were about serious topics affecting people all around the world. Haring often used short, powerful slogans to catch people’s attention. One of his most famous works was the Crack is Wack mural in East Harlem, which warned people about the dangers of cocaine. He painted it large enough for drivers passing by to easily see and remember its message.

Keith Haring Foundation

Keith Haring used his artworks to spread awareness about AIDS and teach people about the disease at a time when many people were afraid to talk about it. In 1988, Haring learned that he had AIDS himself, but instead of staying silent, he worked even harder to help others understand the importance of education and support. A year later, he created the Keith Haring Foundation to raise money for AIDS research, charities, and programs that helped people in need. Sadly, Haring died from AIDS-related complications on February 16, 1990, when he was only 31 years old. Even after his death, the foundation continues to carry his message and support the causes he cared about most.