In his ten year career, Haring went from graffiti artist to the biggest star in the New York city art scene. #k5evening
SEATTLE — A baby. An angel. A devil and a three eyed monster.
You’ll see the brightly colored, simple iconic images that made Keith Haring famous.
You’ll spot his cover of “A Very Special Christmas,” a benefit album that sold two and a half million copies.
Around the corner is “Best Buddies,” a symbol of love and acceptance that was one of Haring’s final works.
These are all some of the things you’ll see in a traveling exhibition called “Keith Haring: A Radiant Legacy” at the Museum of Pop Culture.
“His shape language is pretty much a universal language,” said senior curator Amalia Kozloff. “You can see yourself in so much of it! And pop culture is the same. It’s a universal language that connects us all and that we can have conversations about.”
In a 10 year career cut short by the Aids epidemic, Haring began as a graffiti artist inspired by a street art movement that promoted social justice. His instantly recognizable style caught on quickly and he became a star in the New York art scene. In 1986 Haring even opened up the Pop Shop where anyone could meet and befriend the artist.
“That was such a huge thing,” Kozloff said. “There really hadn’t been an artist before him that was commercializing himself and creating products for mass consumerism. He did a Honda ad. He did Swatch watches.”
Haring, who made friends with Andy Warhol and Madonna, could paint quickly. A recent piece sold at auction for more than $6 million. The money seemed to matter less to Haring than the platform, which he used to promote issues that mattered to him most.
“He was looking at LGBTQ rights,” Kozloff said. “He was looking at the AIDS crisis. He was looking at racism and other things that were impacting the folks around him.”
The figures he made may have seemed simple but this exhibition, made of works all owned by a single collector, sheds light on a complicated man whose impact can be still felt today.
“Keith Haring: A Radiant Legacy” opens Saturday October 12 and runs through March 24, 2025.
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