Keith Haring

Keith Haring began to study art in Pittsburgh but dropped out and moved to New York, where, in 1978, he enrolled in New York School of Visual Arts.

He became committed to the development of a truly public art as a force for good:

 Haring began to draw his characteristic figures on unused subway advertising panels that had been covered in black paper. Sometimes, on a single day, he would create 40 of these works and they became a well known and popular feature of the New York subway in the early 1980’s.

Haring developed his own visual language, strongly based in the line, and this became, over time, universally recognised.

As his fame grew, Haring was involved in more and more art exhibitions internationally but also produced artworks for charities, hospitals, children’s centres and orphanages. He ran many drawing workshops for children and helped illustrate numerous public service campaigns and developed imagery for literacy programmes.

Haring was keen to make sure that his art remained accessible and, in 1986, opened his Pop Shop, which sold T shirts, toys, posters, buttons and magnets at affordable prices so that his images remained available to all.

He died of an AIDS related illness in 1990 but had already established the Keith Haring foundation to provide founding and imagery for AIDS campaigns, support children’s programmes and promote the artist’s work.