After Keith Haring

A first edition, first printing copy of the Keith Haring illustrated Nous Tintin 1987, 'Tintin In Haringland.'

• Keith Haring (American, 1958-1990).
• France: Les Editions Du Lion, 1987.
• 88 pages.
• An artist tribute collection to Tintin featuring double-sided original cover art by Keith Haring.
• Haring printed signature on front right.
• Offset lithograph on hardcover boards.

Haring’s first major works were his subway drawings. Haring produced a large number of these public works between 1980 and 1985, integrating his motifs outlined figures into everyday public space in a way that directly engaged its viewers.

Haring's 1st solo exhibition was held at Westbeth Painters Space in 1981 and a celebrated show debuted at the historic Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York the following year.

Throughout the 1980s, Haring was committed to democratizing the art experience and along with paintings, he also created theater sets, billboards, murals, advertising campaigns and even a line of Swatch watches. In 1986 he opened the Pop Shop in SoHo, selling apparel, posters and toys bearing his drawings. This was a controversial move, as many galleries criticized Haring for “de-valuing” the art object while others, such as Andy Warhol, championed Haring’s insistence on making art accessible and affordable. Pop Shop was highly influential to contemporary crossovers of art and merchandise that are now so dominant, as in the work of Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, KAWS and Takashi Murakami.

In addition to this ideology of accessibility, Haring was also very socially engaged and used his striking imagery to promote awareness of various political and social campaigns. His many notable public works included a mural on the western side of the Berlin Wall, the Crack is Wack mural in New York, and a mural for the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in 1986. Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988 and used his presence in the arts community to raise awareness of the crisis.

In 1989, a year before his death, he established the Keith Haring Foundation, whose mission is to raise funds for AIDS organizations and children’s literacy and arts programs.

Since his death in 1990, Haring has become one of the most widely-recognized and celebrated artists of the 20th century.