Keith Haring

Keith Haring – Street Art / Activism
Full Name: Keith Allen Haring

Place of Birth: Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Nationality: American

Education: Ivy School of Professional Art (Pittsburgh), School of Visual Arts (New York)

Art Movement: Street art, Pop art, Activist art

Partners: Juan Dubose (1981–1986), Juan Rivera (1986–1989)
Artistic Journey

Born in Pennsylvania, Haring grew up in Kutztown. From an early age, he was influenced by Walt Disney cartoons, Dr. Seuss, and Charles Schulz’s comic strips. After studying commercial art, he moved to New York in 1978 to attend the School of Visual Arts. In the early 1980s, he gained attention by drawing with white chalk on empty advertising panels in the New York City subway—a practice that connected him to the graffiti movement while rooting his work in popular visual culture.
He became close friends with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and in 1982, he held his first solo exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery. His style is characterized by bold lines, simple shapes, and vivid colors, often featuring recurring symbols such as the Radiant Baby, barking dogs, hearts, and figures with raised arms.
Major Works
Crack is Wack (1986): Mural located along the FDR Drive in New York, denouncing the crack epidemic of the 1980s.
Ignorance = Fear / Silence = Death (1989): Activist poster against AIDS, created for the group ACT UP, featuring the iconic inverted pink triangle.
Free South Africa (1985): Poster printed in 20,000 copies in support of the fight against apartheid.
Pop Shop (1986): A series of screen prints and merchandise—t-shirts, pins, posters—sold in his SoHo store of the same name.
Montreux Jazz Festival (1983): Vibrant poster created for the Swiss festival, blending imagery of dance and music.
Tower (1987): Monumental mural painted at the Necker Children’s Hospital in Paris, restored in 2013 with support from the Keith Haring Foundation.
Luna Luna (1987): Artistic amusement park project in Hamburg featuring installations by Haring, Basquiat, and Dali, rediscovered and revived in 2023 in New York.
Social and Activist Commitment

Haring used his art as a vehicle for social and political messages. In 1987, after learning he was HIV-positive, he devoted his final years to raising awareness about AIDS, prevention, and the fight against stigma. In 1989, he founded the Keith Haring Foundation, which continues to support projects for children, AIDS patients, and marginalized communities.
Quote

"Art is for everybody."