Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody through Oct 08, 2023
The Broad presents the first-ever museum exhibition in Los Angeles of Keith Haring’s expansive body of work and features over 120 artworks and archival materials. Known for his use of vibrant color, energetic linework and iconic characters like the barking dog and the radiant baby, Haring’s work continues to dissolve barriers between art and life and spread joy, all while being rooted in the creative spirit and mission of his subway drawings and renowned public murals: art is for everybody. Curated by Broad curator and exhibition manager Sarah Loyer, the exhibition explores both Haring’s artistic practice and life, with much of the source material for the exhibition coming from his personal journals.
Divided into ten galleries in total, the expansive exhibition features the breadth of mediums Haring worked within, including video, sculpture, drawing, painting, and graphic works, as well as representations from the artist’s enormous output of public projects, from the subway drawings to his public murals. Works presented span from the late-1970s when he was a student at the School of Visual Arts in New York up until 1988, just two years before the artist died from AIDS-related illness at the age of 31. Haring’s participation in nuclear disarmament and anti-Apartheid movements are featured prominently in the show, as well as works that take on complex issues that remain crucial today from environmentalism, capitalism, and the proliferation of new technologies to religion, sexuality, and race. In the last gallery, significant works from the late 1980s are accompanied by framed posters illustrating the artist’s activism within the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Major works held in The Broad collection such as Untitled, 1984 and Red Room, 1988 are on view in addition to key loans from many institutional and private collections, including art, ephemera and documentation provided by the Keith Haring Foundation in New York, established by the artist in 1989. The show features immersive elements, such as a gallery lit by blacklight soundtracked by playlists created by the artist himself. Additionally, the Shop at The Broad has been transformed, taking inspiration from Haring’s artistic retail space The Pop Shop, which first opened in 1986 in the SoHo neighborhood of New York.
The BROAD team’s must-see Haring picks ? ? ?
We asked Visitor Experience team members to share their favorite works in Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody. Through the coming days we will be sharing their selections.
“My favorite Keith Haring piece is Tree of Life. The tree seems to be trembling from the positive power it holds. It’s an inspiring take on life, on friendship, and on hope. I also love the secret message on the back of the piece dedicating it to his friend Maria. It feels so special and relatable to all of us who have lost someone we love.”
—Kei Riggins, Visitor Experience Team Member There’s still time to see this work—and find your own fave—through October 8!
Image: Visitor Experience team member Kei Riggins in front of Keith Haring, Tree of Life, 1985. Acrylic on canvas tarpaulin with metal grommets. Private collection. © Keith Haring Foundation
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