{"data":{"id":"2685","type":"artist","attributes":{"id":2685,"topgoose_id":3052,"tms_id":2685,"display_name":"Keith Haring","sort_name":"Haring Keith","display_date":"1958–1990","begin_date":"1958","end_date":"1990","biography":"\u003cp\u003eKeith Haring’s imagery is familiar worldwide for its trademark black lines, bright colors, and iconography of radiating babies, dancing men, and barking dogs. Haring achieved this recognition and executed his large body of work during the period of twelve years from 1978, when he moved to New York, until his death from AIDS-related causes in 1990. He was a vital part of the burgeoning 1980s New York art scene, from its beginnings in the East Village, amid other young artists such as \u003ca href=\"/artists/1172\"\u003eKenny Scharf\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"/artists/69\"\u003eJean-Michel Basquiat\u003c/a\u003e. New York served not just as inspiration but as the site for much of his art, and it was there that he developed his spontaneous, free-flowing style of graffiti for decorating the surfaces of streets and subways.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn 1981, as Haring’s career was\ngathering momentum, he discovered the\nvinyl tarps that the city’s electrical company\nused to cover its equipment on the street.\nEnchanted with this new support, he found\na distributor from which to reliably and\nlegally obtain them. Without having to\ndeal with the pressure of being caught by\nthe police, Haring now was able to more\ncarefully arrange his images, as evidenced in\nthis indigo tarp in which three figures—\ntwo dancing, one with his eyes covered—\nare interwoven with the hieroglyphic-like,\nallover composition. As the decade\nprogressed, Haring became increasingly\naware of his role in society and his\nability to communicate with a broad public.\nHe strove to create art that was easily\naccessible and yet addressed the social\nconcerns of his times, including AIDS,\nracism, and illiteracy.\u003c/p\u003e","on_view":false,"artport":false,"biennial":true,"collection":true,"ulan_id":"500024253","wikidata_id":"Q485635","created_at":"2017-08-31T10:20:29.000-04:00","updated_at":"2026-03-31T07:03:20.990-04:00","links":{"artworks":"/api/artists/2685/artworks","exhibitions":"/api/artists/2685/exhibitions"}}}}