Keith Haring...

may 4, 1958
keith haring was born!

“When youth culture becomes monopolised by big business,
what are the youth to do?”

Radio Dept.

may 4, 1958
keith haring was born!



Happy Birthday
Keith!


Keith Haring's work has meant a lot to me
for different reasons over the years.
His squiggles, spray painted linework, and the
ability to bring art out of the gallery and into the streets where
everyone could participate continues to make me smile.

The urgency of his message & art;
and his zest for living are great reminders that life is short. ...

In the words of David Bowie,
and as a tribute to Keith....













let's dance!


-----



"Let's dance put on your red shoes
and dance the blues
Let's dance to the song they're playin' on the radio
Let's dance for fear your grace should fall
Let's dance for fear tonight is all"





-----

the pop up shop!
before there were 5 million pop up shops!




In April 1986, Haring opened the Pop Shop, a retail store in Soho selling T-shirts, toys, posters, buttons and magnets bearing his images. Haring considered the shop to be an extension of his work and painted the entire interior of the store in an abstract black on white mural, creating a striking and unique retail environment. The shop was intended to allow people greater access to his work, which was now readily available on products at a low cost. The shop received criticism from many in the art world, however Haring remained committed to his desire to make his artwork available to as wide an audience as possible, and received strong support for his project from friends, fans and mentors including Andy Warhol.

















boys club mural, 1987





"So doing, he left, as legacy,
the collapse of so-called out
and so-called in,
so-called high
and so-called low,
into mysterious ecstasy and reemergence.

This roda's for you, dear Keith."




-Robert Farris Thompson......
read whole article here..




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may 4, 1958
keith haring was born!

1988, Keith Haring, untitled

"...The thing I responded to most was Christo's belief that art could reach all kinds of people, as opposed to the traditional view, which has art as this elitist thing..." - Keith Haring




"Keith reveals a lot of knowledge about music - jazz and soul, its rhythm and structure-but he was central to the whole development of garage music and house music. He is one of the primary links between hip hop from the South Bronx, gay dance club culture, the conceptual art culture of the Lower East Side, and street art culture. He put all these things together. In his lifestyle and his circle, and, obviously, in his art. "
-Jeffrey Deitch... read more here.

THE UNIVERSE OF KEITH HARING:

"by director Christina Clausen is an intimate portrait of world-renowned artist Keith Haring whose mantra was that "Art is for everyone!" The film is a thorough and intimate exploration of the background and career of one of the most popular and significant artists of the 20th century. The film features interviews and archival footage of Fab 5 Freddy, Jeffrey Deitch, Kim Hastreiter, Grace Jones, Madonna, Yoko Ono, David LaChapelle, Kenny Scharf, Carlo McCormick, Andy Warhol, Ann Magnuson, Tony Shafrazi, and Junior Vasquez, among many others. Audio excerpts from original interviews with Keith Haring, were conducted by Haring's biographer John Gruen (Keith Haring: the Authorized Biography). The film's theme song is by the famed DJ and record producer, Junior Vasquez, with an original soundtrack by Angelo Talocci. "


watch the trailer here..

(spent the afternoon watching this beautiful documentary. watch it!)















Keith Haring, Berlin Wall, 1986.. here

"This mural was executed by Haring in 1986, at the request of the Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
The mural was approximately 300 meters in length, depicting linked figures in the colors of the German flag: yellow, red & black, symbolizing the quest for unity between the Federal Republic of Germany East and the German Democratic Republic West.
The mural was covered over, in time, by the work of other artists, prior to the destruction of the Wall in 1991."

1987, mural

This mural was executed in 1987 in the cafeteria of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp Belgium and it still exists


















Grace Jones, in collaboration with Keith Haring
Paradise Garage, New York
1985