Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring

Description

SOON TO BE A TV SERIES WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ANDREW HAIGH New York Times Book Critics Favorite Book of the Year · Washington Post Notable Book of the Year “It’s all here: the grade school Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss; the adolescent acid trips; the fondness for Post-it notes and flying saucers; the long tails of Dubuffet and Burroughs; the encounters with Madonna, Warhol, and one game-changer of a subway Johnny Walker Red poster. Brad Gooch takes us deep into Keith Haring’s imagination while somehow managing to fix the aura and energy of the 1980s New York art scene to the page. A keen-eyed, beautifully written biography, atmospheric, exuberant, and as radiant as they come.”—Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Revolutionary: Sam Adams A stunning life of the iconic American artist, Keith Haring, by the acclaimed biographer Brad Gooch. In the 1980s, the subways of New York City were covered with art. In the stations, black matte sheets were pasted over outdated ads, and unsigned chalk drawings often popped up on these blank spaces. These temporary chalk drawings numbered in the thousands and became synonymous with a city as diverse as it was at war with itself, beset with poverty and crime but alive with art and creative energy. And every single one of these drawings was done by Keith Haring. Keith Haring was one of the most emblematic artists of the 1980s, a figure described by his contemporaries as “a prophet in his life, his person, and his work.” Part of an iconic cultural crowd that included Andy Warhol, Madonna, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Haring broke down the barriers between high art and pop culture, creating work that was accessible for all and using it as a means to provoke and inspire radical social change. Haring died of AIDS in 1990. To this day, his influence on our culture remains incontrovertible, and his glamorous, tragically short life has a unique aura of mystery and power. In this definitive Keith Haring biography, Brad Gooch, noted biographer of Flannery O’Connor and Frank O’Hara, was granted access to Haring’s extensive archive. He has written a biography that will become the authoritative work on the artist. Based on interviews with those who knew Haring best and drawing from the rich archival history, Brad Gooch sets out to capture the magic of Keith Haring: a visionary and timeless icon. This authoritative art biography reveals the man behind the icons, capturing the relentless creativity and historical importance of a once-in-a-generation artist: Subway Drawings: Discover the full story behind the thousands of ephemeral chalk drawings that transformed New York City’s subway system into a public gallery for everyone. Art for Everybody: Explore Haring’s democratic belief in breaking down the barriers between high art and popular culture, from his Pop Shop to his public murals. An American Artist: Witness Haring’s journey from a childhood in Kutztown, Pennsylvania―learning to draw cartoons from his father―to his meteoric rise as a global art phenomenon. The AIDS Crisis: Understand how Haring confronted the devastating epidemic that shaped his later work and tragically cut short his life and career at the age of 31. Review: Great book! - I got this book as a gift for a Keith Haring fan, and it was very cool. I actually read it as well from the library and the author does a great job of recounting Keith's life and speaking in detail about his art and how it evolved. I loved the section of photos of Keith's work, but I do wish there were some more photos along with detailed descriptions in some sections of the book - but overall, I loved it and so did the recipient. Review: Such An Awesome Biography - I rode New York City subways a lot in the 80s so I was no stranger to Keith Haring’s art/graffiti even if I didn’t yet know his name. And when I first saw the “Crack is Wack” handball wall in East Harlem I knew immediately it was from the same artist. But it probably wasn’t till I bought my first “Very Special Christmas” CD that I learned his name. I’m not exactly a connoisseur of fine art so Haring’s pop art speaks to me in its simplicity. Like punk music, there’s a feeling with his drawings and paintings that anyone could do it. And that makes it ever more accessible and understandable. This book was an awesome recap of Haring’s amazing but short life and career. Knowing the fate he’d meet, I felt a sense of oncoming doom throughout. And considering the manic pace that Haring worked at, perhaps he felt it too. Certainly by the mid-eighties, as so many of Haring’s friends were dying of AIDs, he knew there was a chance he’d be next. Indeed in his journals around that time he speaks of a fear of dying and a longing to live a little longer (uncommon thoughts for your typical twenty-something). Such was the mood in New York City at the time, particularly in the gay community where the sense that the party was over was an ever present Damocles sword. Haring became every bit a pop star in his time, hanging with the likes of Madonna and Brooke Shields and Boy George and spending night after night dancing his ass off in the best New York City clubs of the eighties. And his fame brought him around the world, giving him the opportunity to paint murals everywhere, including his favorite project ever: the Berlin Wall. Through his own words from interviews and his journals, and those of his closest confidants and lovers, we learn of Haring’s passion for art and how he believed it could positively change the world (which is why he gave so much of it away for free). This was a great, uplifting book. Until the end, when it became a great, tragic book. Such is the case with so many artists who leave us long before their time. But at least we have his oeuvre to remind us of who he was and how simple yet powerful a paint brush or a magic marker or even just a piece of chalk can be. In her eulogy to her brother, Haring’s sister Kay said Keith had taught her “That a wall was meant to be drawn on, a Saturday night was meant for partying, and that life is meant for celebrating.” I took similar messages and inspiration from this book