Man Behind the Art

Keith Haring was an openly gay artist artist born on May 4, 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania who later became a graduate of the School of Visual Arts. He developed a love for drawing at a very early age, learning basic cartooning skills from his father and from the popular culture around him.

Keith Haring’s Creations

Keith created cartoon artwork to tell stories, send messages, and inspire communities. Most notably, he used his art to spread awareness about the AIDS crisis; In 1989, he established the Keith Haring Foundation, its mandate being to provide funding and imagery to AIDS organizations and children’s programs, and to expand the audience for Haring’s work through exhibitions, publications and the licensing of his images. Haring enlisted his imagery during the last years of his life to speak about his own illness and generate activism and awareness about AIDS. (haring.com)

Where It Happened

Though originally born in Pennsylvania, his popularity grew within the streets of New York. He utilized the outside of galleries and museum system, in the downtown streets, the subways and spaces in clubs and former dance halls. However, the subway stations became his main location to create his artwork. (Photo by Ken Lig)

Early Years

His passion for creating existed throughout all of Keith’s life, however, his popularity began in 1978 when he moved to New York to enroll in he School of Visual Arts. He continued to work for the next 10 years until February 16, 1990, aged 31, when Haring died of AIDS-related complications.

His Purpose

As a gay man in the ’80s, Haring felt that issues of AIDS- and other medical issues- were not being taken as serious concerns and were often pushed aside. He used artwork as a voice for the voiceless, a way to bring attention to changes he wanted to see in the world. As well as his AIDS campaign, he was known for his mural titled “Crack is Wack”. The use of his bright and fun cartoon imagery mixed with the serious topics he wished to discuss became something that would be hard to ignore. So, he used his imagery to draw attention to what he saw as important issues in a hope to create change.

How He Did It

Within the subways of New York, when companies would swap advertisements, there remained black paper behind the frame. Haring used white chalk to create his cartoon imagery. Swift movements became a staple of how he worked; No mistakes existed to him, as the medium of chalk would be tough to erase. As his popularity grew, he soon found himself working with paint to create larger murals for businesses.