An energetic and accessible introduction to iconic American artist Keith Haring to accompany his first UK institutional exhibtion.

Featuring around fifty works supported by rarely seen photography, film and archival documents from the Keith Haring Foundation, this book will not only introduce Haring to a new audience but also throw fresh light on an artist whose work remains symptomatic of the subcultural and creative energy of 1980s New York.

Essays exploring various aspects of Haring’s practice are interspersed with illustrations of his works and a timeline featuring key social and political events of the 1980s (from the election of Reagan in 1980 and the explosion of hip hop from underground movement to global phenomenon to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989) and Haring’s responses to them.

Keith Haring (1958 - 1990) was an American artist, and one of the leading figures of the graffiti art movement which emerged from New York in the 1980s. His work reflected a profound commitment to social justice and activism, raising issues that remain relevant today, including the AIDS crisis, racism, and environmental degradation.

Darren Pih is Exhibitions & Displays Curator, Tate Liverpool