I LOVE the simple lines of the graphic images of artist Keith Haring so much that I imported toys from France with his images! I was amazed to discover how few people know this talented young artist, Keith Haring Artist of the 80’s.
Keith Allen Haring was an American artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth, death, sexuality, and war. Wikipedia He first received public attention with his public art in subways. (This is a polite way for Wiki to say he was a graffiti artist) His bold lines, vivid colors, and active figures carry strong messages of life and unity. 
He developed friendships with key artists of the 80’s in New York which reflected in his art and visibility in later years.
His first international recognition came in1984, Haring visited Australia and painted wall murals. His murals are an extension of his early years graffiti work of the subways and walls of New York. You could call Keith a “workaholic” just based on his works abroad and his international promotions.
I found this great clip of interviews on youtube that gives you a quick overview of him and his work…it is a bit fuzzy in some parts but is easy to watch and learn. Haring wrote: “I am becoming much more aware of movement. The importance of movement is intensified when a painting becomes a performance. The performance (the act of painting) becomes as important as the resulting painting.”
Haring was openly gay and a strong advocate of safe sex however, in 1988, he was diagnosed with AIDS. Ideas about his sexual orientation are apparent throughout his work and his journals clearly confirm its impact on his work. Heavy symbolism speaking about the AIDS epidemic is vivid in his later pieces. Haring’s diagnosis was never a secret; it was public knowledge and an accepted part of his persona in the media. Those publicly shared thoughts were reflected, often with more depth, in his work. Despite all the fear that led up to diagnosis, in some ways Haring found his impending death liberating. It pushed him to produce more work as quickly as possible. Haring’s legacy of images is maintained by his foundation. The foundation has a twofold mission of supporting educational opportunities for underprivileged children and financing AIDS research and patient care.
Keith Haring was a artist to know and remember!
For more information check out Keith Haring’s page on Wikipedia
