Keith Haring

Keith Haring was an American artist and social activist. He had a vital role in popularising graffiti art work. He learnt the basics of drawing from his cartoonist father. His first solo art exhibition was at Pittsburgh Art and Craft Centre. While studying at the School of Visual Arts in New York, he experimented with various art forms of video and performance art. He also explored the interconnection of images to hone his drawing skill. In New York, he came to know about graffiti work, a new form of art. Gradually, he got recognition for his underground art works. He published his works of graffiti in the form of a book, “Art in Transit: Subway Drawings”. His graffiti works consisted images of simple objects like pyramids, human figures, television sets, animals and babies. He utilized graffiti for his various social activisms. His artistic creation helped to promote literacy. Crack Is Wack is his anti drug mural. He got the invitation from the authorities of the Bordeaux Contemporary Art Museum in France and the Stedelijk Museum in the Netherlands to showcase his creativity. Being an AIDs victim, he devoted time to spread awareness about AIDS in later period of his life.