Keith Haring’s images of jubilant figures — dogs, hearts and televisions all rendered in heavy black lines — are probably among the most popular and best known artworks of the 20th century, synonymous with Pop Art of the 1980s. The Contemporary Art Center (44 East Sixth St., Downtown) opens Keith Haring: 1978-1982 this Friday with a talk by street artist JR for CAC members at 7 p.m., followed by an opening party at 8 p.m. that is free and open to the public.
The CAC’s own Raphaela Platow curated this exhibition with more than 250 works that reveal Haring’s early years and the developments that led up to his widely celebrated iconography. The exhibition shows how Haring drew from conceptual art practices, text art and influences like Jean Dubuffet and Paul Klee, as well as how his love for art propelled him to curate exhibitions of other artists, organize parties and make slews of posters for art events. Haring’s populist belief that art was for everybody made him a social force and Platow’s exhibition tells the story of that. The exhibition continues through Sept. 5.
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