Keith Haring

Keith Haring was an American artist whose bold, cartoon-like figures grew out of the streets and subways of 1980s New York. Born in Pennsylvania in 1958, he first drew attention by chalking quick, energetic drawings on empty black advertising panels in the subway. His instantly recognizable style, radiant babies, barking dogs, and dancing figures outlined in thick black lines, spread fast.

He wanted his art to be for everyone, not just galleries, and he tackled urgent issues of his day including AIDS, apartheid, and drug abuse. He opened a shop called the Pop Shop to sell affordable work and put his images on everything from murals to badges. Haring died of AIDS-related illness in 1990 at just thirty one, and his joyful, activist art remains widely loved.