HARING, KEITH (1958-1990)

"The Kutztown Connection" (1984) 
exhibition lithograph, ed. of 200
84 x 51cm 
signed lower right
*private collection, Sydney

Haring was an American cartoonist & artist who is considered an iconic figure in contemporary art and Pop Art. After graduating from high school in 1976, Haring enrolled at the Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, but soon realized that he was not interested in a career as a graphic designer in advertising & dropped out. That same year, Haring moved to New York & enrolled at the School of Visual Arts (SVA). In New York, Haring found a thriving alternative art community developing outside the gallery & museum system, in the streets, subways, clubs & old dance halls. Here he befriended fellow artists Kenny Scharf & Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as performance artists & graffiti artists. Haring experimented with performance, video, installation and collage, while always maintaining a strong commitment to drawing. In 1980, Haring found a very effective medium that allowed him to communicate with a wider audience. He began drawing with white chalk on black paper-covered billboards throughout the metro. Between 1980-85, Haring produced hundreds of these public drawings, sometimes creating as many as forty “underground drawings” in one day. The metro became, as Haring put it, a “laboratory” for developing his ideas & experimenting with his simple lines. Tragically, Haring died prematurely of AIDS-related complications in 1990 in the prime of his career. He is one of the most sought after International artists for collectors, & is represented in major Modern Art Institutions across the world!! Under 200 of these lithographs were produced & signed!!