Keith Haring, one of the most famous artists of the late 20th Century, is widely known for his distinctive style and iconography, often seen on merchandise, advertisements and online. Now, Seattle residents have the chance to see his art in its original form in a new exhibit at the Museum of Pop Culture.
The exhibit celebrates Haring, touching on his history, the multifaceted nature of his art and the ways that his rejection of the traditional expectations of high art paved the way for future artists.
The beginning of the exhibit focuses on much of the broader context of Haring’s life and artistic philosophy—his involvement in the New York Graffiti scene, along with his obsession with iconography and repetition. Descriptions are paired with examples of the street art that he would do, like his illustrations over covered-up billboards.
These influences would lead Haring to develop the famous symbols and styles that would reappear repeatedly throughout his art, including his famous nuclear baby, barking dog, thick and angular linework and movement markings.
One of the ways that Haring challenged the traditional art world was through his use of art in commercial settings. Unlike other famous artists, Haring did not attempt to keep his art “elite” and “above” other forms of expression—he readily collaborated with commercial entities, like appearing in advertisements or creating merchandise.
The exhibit highlights examples of this fact and provides descriptions that elaborate on this use of commercialism in his art. The exhibit features clothing and auto advertisements, along with various collaborations he did for things like album covers. With his highly recognizable art style and status as a household name, advertisement was just one of the avenues that Haring used to make his art as seen and accessible as possible, democratizing it and giving regular people the ability to interact with his art.
For many viewers, like Kaylin Coffey, this focus on accessibility is a big appeal.
“I like that he was saying that art is for everybody, and that everybody has a right to art, and that a lot of his politics are brought into it,” Coffey shared.
The exhibit also has a large section dedicated to Haring’s Pop Shop, a store in New York that was painted floor to ceiling with Haring murals. The shop offered fans an opportunity to purchase merchandise with Haring’s art and even opportunities to meet Haring himself, who would often hang out at the shop. The exhibit features various pieces of this merchandise and even a piece of painted drywall from the shop.
Yasmin Conchas, a viewer of the exhibit, was pleasantly surprised to learn about the shop.
“I did not know that he had a pop-up shop, so that piece was really cool, because I think a lot of artists think they’re above selling a lot of their work or prints,” Conchas said.
While he made sure that his art was marketable and available to everyone, this never stopped Haring from advocating for what he believed in. Haring, an openly gay man, made many pieces fighting against the AIDS epidemic that was sweeping through New York. This involved advocating for condom use, safe sex, political recognition of the issue and access to treatment. While the disease ended up taking the artist’s life at the young age of 31, his advocacy outlived him, and his art worked to make the world a better place.
In both his advocacy for AIDS awareness and his personal expression of his sexuality, Haring often depicted male genitals and male-on-male sex acts, which was very uncommon in the 1980s. The exhibit includes a section that highlights some of this explicit art. Haring’s willingness to be raw, vulnerable and taboo was part of what allowed Haring to authentically and dynamically present gay sexuality in his art. While it ranged from blissful and celebratory to full of strife, it was always deeply human.
“Some of his more popular work is quite neutral, so I was really intrigued to see that there’s a section of the exhibit that has sexual nudity in it, and I had never seen those pieces before,” Conchas said. “Especially when it comes to LGBTQ advocacy, people usually want to see queer joy, but advocacy can look violent and it can be scary or sad or angry.”
In addition, Haring’s advocacy also included support for other causes, including environmental, anti-drug, nuclear disarmament and anti-apartheid movements. One of Haring’s most famous pieces, “Untitled (Apartheid),” a two-part print showing a large black figure breaking free of the chains held by a small white one, is displayed at the exhibit.
Adilia Hjelle, a second-year cell and molecular biology major who saw the exhibit, said that it gave her much deeper insight compared to her previous knowledge of the artist.
“I feel a lot closer to him and more understanding of him as an artist now after seeing the exhibit than I did before,” Hjelle said.
The exhibit dives deep into Haring’s legendary career and legacy, letting viewers explore not only the most famous and recognizable aspects of his art, but also the often-missed intimate, passionate and groundbreaking aspects of all that Haring had to accomplish.
“Keith Haring: A Radiant Legacy” is open until March 23. For more information, visit mopop.org.
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