Keith Haring

KEITH HARING (Pennsylvania, 1958- New York, 1990).
"Apocalypse 10," 1988.
Silkscreen on paper. Copy 82/90.
Reverse copyright and publisher's stamp.
Printer: Rupert Jansen Smith (blind stamp in lower corner).
Published by: George Mulder Fine Arts N. Y
Provenance: Concept Art Gallery.
Signed, dated and numbered by the author.
Measurements: 96,2 x 96,2 cm.
Created in collaboration with William S. Burroughs in 1988, Keith Haring's Apocalypse examines the complexities of the modern world, employing a unique fusion of visual and textual elements. With motifs inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphics, the series addresses themes of destruction, social critique and the AIDS crisis, reflecting Haring's introspective and activist approach to art. This series encapsulates Haring's mastery of his medium and his ability to communicate powerful messages through art, making it an essential study in understanding his impact on both contemporary art and culture. Unlike his earlier, more whimsical works, the Apocalypse series reflects Haring's turn toward darker themes. Created during the last years of his life, in the midst of his struggle with AIDS, the series examines themes of destruction, war and hellish imagery, making a poignant statement about Haring's internal and external turmoil during this period.
Considered the figurehead of 1980s urban art, Haring's unstoppable professional career, which led him to become a Warhol colleague and media superstar, began with his work in the New York subway. The enormous popularity of Haring's urban work among the people of New York immediately caught the attention of the art establishment. Consequently, Andy Warhol adopted him into his circle, and the then emerging gallerist Tony Shafrazi organized a major solo exhibition for him in 1982 that was to be the launching pad for his unstoppable success. He soon exhibited his work at the gallery of the influential Leo Castelli and established himself as a professional art star.
Keith Haring was an American artist whose pop art and graffiti emerged from the street culture of New York City in the 1980s. Haring's work grew in popularity thanks to his spontaneous drawings on the New York City subway in chalk on black and white advertising space backgrounds. After achieving public recognition, he created large-scale works as murals.His later work often addressed political and social issues, especially homosexuality and AIDS, through his own iconography. Today Haring's work is divided between major private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Bass Museum in Miami; Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; the Ludwig Museum in Cologne; and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. He also created a wide variety of public works, including the infirmary at Children's Village in Dobbs Ferry, New Yorkand the second-floor men's room at Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Manhattan, which was later transformed into an office and is known as the Keith Haring Room. In January 2019, an exhibit called "Keith Haring New York" opened at New York Law School in the main building of its Tribeca campus.