The artist Keith Haring may just as well have spoken from the grave today. He started the Keith Haring foundation to make the world aware of aids. You see he was Gay and in the 1980’s there were not a lot of information available about AIDS. He contracted aids and were diagnosed with it in 1988. Keith Haring was known to fight causes and politics with his art. Just like Madonna he were also a very interesting and controversial character who did not do everything by the book but still managed to capture local, national and international attention!
Today his message about Aids Awareness received a boost from the grave when Google selected his art for their FrontPage, directing millions of people to information, biographies and information about Keith Haring his art and his Aids message. This is however not the first time that Keith Haring have been honored for his life and legacy. Madonna have selected his foundation the Keith Haring Foundation as her beneficiary for the Madonna Blond Ambition World Tour, she donated all proceedings from her first New York Blond Ambition World tour to the Keith Haring Foundation and Aids organizations.
In 2009 one of Keith Haring art pieces were used on condoms for World Aids Day. The “Keith Haring” name, logo and legacy were used to make people more aware of aids and prevention. “Keith Haring” also made it into the Guinness Book of Records when Ravensburger created a monster size jigsaw puzzle of Keith Haring’s work. There is a film about Keith Haring “The Universe of Keith Haring”.
At first I did not know who Keith Haring was when I opened my browser today, now that I have done some research, “I am amazed by the legacy which the Street artist Keith Haring have left behind”. It is almost too much to comprehend in a short space of time and I highly recommend that you read more about Keith Haring on the
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Wikipedia also have an excellent entry about Keith Haring which is a must read if you are interested to learn more about Keith Haring. The
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Keith Haring Founder of the Pop Shop
In 1986 Keith Haring founded the Pop Shop in the Heart of New York. The Pop Shop sold artwork created by Keith Haring. At the pop shop people could by T-Shirts, Stickers, Badges, Gifts, and Posters, Jewelry, Gift Cards and novelties with Keith Haring’s art on it. The watch maker Swatch even used Keith Haring’s art work in some of their collector watches. The Pop Shop is still available online but has closed their doors in September 2005 it is now operated by the Keith Haring foundation where you can still buy gifts from the site. The Keith Haring Foundation uses the money from sales to fund their various philanthropy projects and to help spread the Keith Haring Aids message.
Keith Haring Brooklyn Museum exhibition
Currently the Brooklyn Museum is exhibiting some of Keith Haring’s work. In a review about the exhibition Keith Haring is described as the Best Known American Artist of the twentieth century. The Exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum is focused on the early life of Keith Haring (1978 – 1982). The Keith Haring exhibition includes 155 works on paper, numerous experimental videos, and over 150 archival objects, including rarely seen sketchbooks, journals, exhibition flyers, posters, subway drawings, and documentary photographs. If you live in the United States and are in New York from March 16th 2012 to July 8, 2012 you may want to visit the Brooklyn Museum to experience the “Street artists” work and legacy for yourself.
Keith Haring Anti-Apartheid South Africa
Keith Haring used his art as a form to protest world issues and politics. During the Apartheid South African years he used his art to make people in the US aware of Apartheid in South Africa. One of his more famous South Africa Anti-Apartheid art works are the “Free South Africa” painting. This were also made available into a poster and helped South Africans in their fight to end apartheid. Today his message is also applicable to South Africa since South Africa is one of the countries in the world with the highest Aids infections. Yet living in South Africa for many years I haven’t seen his art work here…
Keith Haring Melbourne Australia
Keith Haring were known for his Graffiti and Mural paintings across the globe. In 1984 during one of his visits to Australia he painted a mural at the former Collingwood Technical College. The Keith Haring Mural has started to decay after years of facing the elements and is creating some controversy in Australia at the moment. On the two sides are world renowned artists protesting the repainting of Keith’s Mural and on the other hand the Arts Victoria and the Keith Haring Foundation.
Keith Haring Pop Shop in the United Kingdom
Keith Haring legacy also made its way to the United Kingdom when in September 2009 his Pop Shop were recreated as part of the “Tate Modern’s Pop Life: Art in a Material World” exhibition. The exhibition draw large crowds and people in the UK got to experience the “Pop Shop” and some of the vibrancy of Keith Haring’s art and legacy.
Keith Haring New York US
Although Keith Haring were born in Pennsylvania he’s career were made in New York. After mixing with some bad influence Keith Haring were introduced to Graffiti. He fell in love with the idea to paint on walls and after discovering advertising boards in the subways of New York he were completely hooked on the art. He started painting Murals on these advertising boards in the subways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyvIRZG6b_M
This was where he was first spotted as an artist. He also painted several murals in New York and were invited by schools, charities and shops to paint murals. It was also in New York where he founded the Pop Shop and where he perfected the art of turning his passion into a flourishing business.
