Keith Haring: 31 subway drawings

Abstract

A look at Keith Haring's New York City subway artwork from the 1980s. Like other graffiti artists in the 1980s, Haring found an empty canvas in the advertising panels scattered throughout New York City's subway system, where he communicated his socially conscious, often humorous messages on platforms and train cars. Over a five-year period, Haring produced a massive body of subway artwork that remains daunting in its scale and its impact on the public consciousness. Dedicated to the individuals who might encounter them and to the moments of their creation, Haring's drawings now exist solely in the form of documentary photographs and legend. Because they were not meant to be permanent--only briefly inhabiting blacked-out advertising boards before being covered up by ads or torn down by authorities or admirers--what little remains of this project is uniquely fugitive. Keith Haring: 31 Subway Drawings reproduces archival materials relating to this magnificent project alongside essays by leading Haring experts. Distributed for No More Rulers.

Contents

Foreword. Pulling from the infinite stream / Larry Warsh -- The subway is still my favorite place to draw / Keith Haring -- A tuneful celebration of urban commonality / Henry Geldzahler -- Why the dogs are barking / Jeffrey Deitch -- Mass transit : transformation and transcendence in Keith Haring's subway drawings / Carlo McCormick.