Page 55 - OCEAN BLUE - WINTER 2017

ART & DESIGN

Keith Haring’s work is described by the Keith Haring Foundation
as expressing “a universally recognized visual language of the
twentieth century.” Throughout the 80s, Haring exhibited not only
on the streets, but in over 100 solo and group exhibitions. His first
solo museum show was at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in
1986.
Waring’s simple messages were direct and artistically presented in a
manner comprehensible by all. His street work became so popular;
it was stolen within hours of completion. This prompted Haring
to merchandize his art in his Pop Shops where he sold posters and
other paraphernalia decorated with replicas of his work.
Energetic, ever-present and popular, he participated in
collaborations with artists and performers of the time including
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Timothy Leary, Madonna,
Grace Jones, William Burroughs and Yoko Ono.
Though his life was cut short by his passing in early 1990 due to
AIDS, Haring’s work lives on in his charity foundation, exhibitions,
retrospectives and collections in major museums around the world.

“The use of commercial projects has enabled me
to reach millions of people whom I would not
have reached by remaining an unknown artist. I
assumed, after all, that the point of making art was
to communicate and contribute to culture.”

- Keith Haring

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