Discover Keith Haring, a pop art icon, and one of the most recognizable artists of the second half of the 20th century.

Born on May 4, 1958, in Reading in the state of Pennsylvania, Keith Haring is one of the most recognizable artists of the second half of the 20th century. Very early on, young Keith developed an interest in drawing. His father, an amateur cartoonist, teaches him the basics and the aspiring artist sketches a whole repertoire of figures well known to children, from the stories of Dr. Seuss, the adventures of Peanuts or Looney Tunes, but especially characters created by Walt Disney, especially Mickey Mouse.

Keith Haring is looking for freedom, both in his practice and in his conception of the artist. As a young adult, he cites Jean Dubuffet or Pierre Alechinsky as references, among others, but also the figures of the beat generation Brion Gysin and William S. Burroughs.

In 1978, Keith Haring moved to New York to study at the School of Visual Arts. In the heart of the city, he discovered an alternative art world outside galleries and museums, appropriating public spaces such as the New York subway. This desire for free and popular art appealed to Haring, who took over the subway corridors, which covered with chalk drawings. From 1980 to 1985, Haring directed more than a hundred Subway Drawing giving him a certain notoriety. In 1982, he exhibited at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery and was a resounding success. The same year, he participated in Documenta 7 alongside his friend Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988 and the following year founded the Keith Haring Foundation, which was responsible for providing support and visibility to programs in favor of research against the disease from which he was suffering. His latest works present a more violent iconography to address his condition and serve as a medium for activism around the cause of AIDS patients at a time when the discourse around HIV was silent.

Keith Haring died of complications due to AIDS on February 16, 1990 at the age of 31. Since then, the artist's work has been celebrated both for its plastic quality and for its activist discourse.

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