Keith Haring: 1978–1982 is the first large-scale exhibition to
explore the early career of one of the best-known American artists of
the twentieth century.
Tracing the development of Haring’s extraordinary
visual vocabulary, the exhibition includes 155 works on paper, numerous
experimental videos, and over 150 archival objects, including rarely
seen sketchbooks, journals, exhibition flyers, posters, subway drawings,
and documentary photographs.
The exhibition chronicles the period in Haring’s career from his
arrival in New York City through the years when he started his studio
practice and began making public and political art on the city streets.
Immersing himself in New York’s downtown culture, he quickly became a
fixture on the artistic scene, befriending other artists such as
Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf, as well as many of the most
innovative cultural figures of the period.
The critical role that these
relationships played in Haring’s development as a public artist and
facilitator of group exhibitions and performances will also be explored.
Pieces on view will include a number of very early works never before
seen in public; seven video pieces, including Haring Paints Himself into a Corner (his first video piece) and Tribute to Gloria Vanderbilt; and collages created from cut-up fragments of his own writing, history textbooks, and newspapers.
Keith Haring: 1978–1982 is curated by Raphaela Platow.
The
exhibition is co-organized by the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati,
and the Kunsthalle Wien.
The Brooklyn presentation is coordinated by
Associate Curator of Photography Patrick Amsellem.