A Brief History of Keith Haring

ART EDUCATION
January 5, 2023

Keith Allen Haring was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language"

 

Born: 4 May 1958, Reading, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: 16 February 1990, New York, New York, United States
Periods: Pop art, Contemporary art
Education: The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, School of Visual Arts, Kutztown Area High School
Influenced by: Pablo Picasso, Tom of Finland, Dr. Seuss, Walt Disney, William S. Burroughs
Organizations founded: The Keith Haring Foundation, Pop Shop
On view: The Museum of Modern Art, UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Museum of the City of New York
 
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Automatic transcript:

I wanted intensity for my art and I wanted intensity for my life. the only place to go was New York.

To me 1978 was a totally fresh beginning.

Imagining Shadows 

Ignoring truth 

Whitestare with matching glasses and so is trying to get us into space before where is if you make art what is making 16 is being is making not seeing his making is making fun of someone and seeing the person in the subway is screaming nobody is listening but everyone is listening and seeing and make it I began to be interested in fascinated by the graffiti I was seeing in the streets and in the subway graffiti with the most beautiful things I ever saw I wanted to let people experience or it without having to feel inhibited manipulating it is all right that is somewhat less serious nice untouchable one time I was in 51st Street and 7th Avenue subway station drying limits cop comes up behind me he arrested in handcuffed behind my back all the cops were wondering what this Dirty White Boy could possibly have done the cops who arrested me says I caught him drawing in the subway the cop at the desk says so you're the guy who does those drawings Hey Joe his pictures of the kid who does the subway drawing there was this incredibly raw energy in the air and the energy was called Hip Hop nice addition of the fun Gallery was really a reference to this whole hip hop culture which is really never existed at a gallery opening before not only did I meet Auntie during this. But all the parties I gave in the room shoe department or a mixture of all these things I hope my generation will be able to carry on the magic that the previous generation is excavated and gently tried the teachers they have liberated a part of us that is too important to be dismissed passed over I'm glad I'm different I'm proud to be gay ashamed of my forefathers like them not really scared of AIDS out for myself I'm scared it having to watch more people die in front of me again people might say if you're not interested in being a part of the system and you shouldn't care that you're being ignored by the Museum's curators I really do believe that it will all happen later the acceptance my support network is not made up of museums and curators and put of real people and that's good because everything I've ever tried to do was cut through all that bullshit anyway it seems to me the only thing to do in this world is what the world is but only I can make these things are called who works with Keith Haring