Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s by expressing concepts of birth, death, sexuality, and war.[2]
Haring’s work was often heavily political[3] and his imagery has become a widely recognized visual language of the 20th century.[4]
He first received public attention with his public art in subways. Starting in 1980, he organized exhibitions at Club 57,[9] which were filmed by the photographer Tseng Kwong Chi. Around this time, “The Radiant Baby” became his symbol. His bold lines, vivid colors, and active figures carry strong messages of life and unity.[9] He participated in the Times Square Exhibition and drew animals and human faces for the first time. That same year, he photocopied and pasted provocative collages made from cut-up and recombined New York Post headlines around the city.[10] In 1981, he sketched his first chalk drawings on black paper and painted plastic, metal, and found objects.