Keith Haring “Drawing Social Impact”

Nakamura Keith-Haring Collection

Finished

Artists

Keith Haring

In 1978, twenty-year-old Keith Haring moved from Pennsylvania to New York City in the midst of its recession, plagued by violence and discrimination. Despite this, street culture, such as hip-hop and graffiti, flourished. Influenced by countercultures the city had given birth to, Haring continued to spread his vision throughout the fractured city and all over the world.
The first location Haring took interest in and saw as a platform for him to communicate to the masses was the New York subway system. Seen by thousands of commuters, the advertising boards found in the stations were an ideal place for Haring’s public art. His graffiti - hastily drawn with white chalk on blank black paper that covered expired advertising posters - featured his wit and direct messages. The artist continued his communication with the public through the making of posters, centered around anti-nuclear, anti-apartheid, AIDS related issues, LGBTQ related subjects, and many other sociopolitical themes. The works of Keith Haring, unbound by limitations such as class, race, gender, religion, and culture still continues to empower today.
The exhibition presents the museum’s latest acquisition, “Altarpiece: The Life of Christ” (1990), a work completed a few weeks prior to Haring’s death on February 16, 1990. This was his last work, and is being presented for the first time within the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection. Editions of this piece are housed in 9 different locations, including churches and museums throughout the world. Perhaps the most symbolic of these is the one still displayed on the altar of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, where his memorial service was held. Accepting his fate, Haring created this final work to impart his lasting legacy of hope, peace, and eternity.

Schedule

Feb 9 (Fri) 2018-Nov 11 (Sun) 2018