Keith Haring gained recognition very quickly through his graffiti in the streets of New York, before his work was exhibited in prestigious galleries such as Leo Castelli’s.
Haring wanted his art to be at the heart of life and always remain accessible to everyone; his creations invaded the Subway, the city walls, street lamps, cars, clothing and bodies. From 1986, he even started selling his own by- products in his Pop Shop boutique.

Haring developed a graphic style with simple lines that everyone could understand, taking his inspiration from the Standart created by A. R. Penck, whom he considered to be a mentor. Seeing his drawings as ideograms, his figures, with their strong, lively colours, became universal, like  the Radiant Baby, which symbolises life, joy and hope.

Beyond this apparent light-heartedness, he depicted the evils of his time, such as drugs, the subversive power of the media and of money, and AIDS, of which he was one of the many victims. Haring knew from 1987 that he was ill and became a committed artist, an active militant who sought to warn others, particularly young children, against this plague.

Struck down by the disease at the age of just 31, Haring nevertheless left a profound mark on his era by introducing street art into the museums.
His friendship with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, his unique artistic language, his happenings at Club 57 and his proclamation of a gay artistic identity made him a symbol of the creative frenzy that went hand in hand with the effervescence of the New York underground of the 1980’s.