Keith Haring Retrospect

What Keith Haring's figures mean depends on the lines near them. Curves show that a figure is in motion, while short straight lines represent sound. The figures themselves are usually meant to signify various roles in society. On 1stDibs, shop a selection of Keith Haring art.

Keith Haring is originally from Kutztown, Pennsylvania, although he was born in the nearby city of Reading, Pennsylvania, on May 4, 1958. In 1978, Haring moved to New York City. He continued to live there until he died on February 16, 1990. Find a selection of Keith Haring art on 1stDibs.

Keith Haring was a modern American artist and activist. He began as a street artist creating graffiti-inspired works throughout New York City’s subway system and would later produce public murals in cities all over the world. Haring’s paintings, prints and murals address the universal themes of death, love and sex, as well as contemporary issues he experienced personally, like the crack-cocaine and AIDS epidemics. In 1986, Haring opened a Pop Shop in Manhattan’s Soho neighborhood to sell merchandise bearing his bold, cartoon-inspired designs. On 1stDibs, find a variety of Keith Haring art.

The Keith Haring Foundation is a philanthropic organization founded by the artist Keith Haring in 1989. Its mission is to provide funding for nonprofit organizations who offer services and programs for children or conduct research or educational initiatives related to AIDS.

Keith Haring was known for his work as an artist. He began experimenting with his bold, graphic lines and cartoon-inspired figures on the walls of New York City subway stations in the early 1980s. He called these underground places his “laboratory” to develop a radical new aesthetic based on the ideology of creating truly democratic public art. Haring used paintings, prints and murals to address the universal themes of death, love and sex, as well as contemporary issues he experienced personally, like the crack-cocaine and AIDS epidemics. These works derive much of their impact from the powerful contrast between these serious subjects and the joyful, vibrant pictographic language he used to express them, full of dancing figures, babies, barking dogs, hearts and rhythmic lines, as well as references to pop culture. To make his art even more accessible, in 1986, Haring opened the Pop Shop in Soho. In a foreshadowing of today’s intermingling of art and fashion, the shop sold merchandise and novelty items featuring his imagery. Find a collection of Keith Haring art on 1stDibs.