Description

A fresh perspective on the work of Keith Haring – one of the world’s most beloved contemporary artists – with a special focus on his three-dimensional work

From the moment he landed in NYC in 1978, Keith Haring took three-dimensional objects – whether discards on the street, household appliances, or subway walls – as his atypical canvas. From cars to vases to refrigerators and even a sarcophagus, these could often be rich sites of collaboration with artist contemporaries including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, and LA2 (Angel Ortiz) among others. Extending his unmistakable mark-making to clothes, stage sets, and bodies inspired creative connections beyond the boundaries of the art world: Haring collaborated with the likes of Grace Jones, Bill T. Jones, Madonna, and Annie Leibovitz, the last of whom photographed Haring in an now-famous session during which he made his own body a canvas, painting himself to blend into an elaborate 3D environment. Although his career was brief, Keith Haring’s sculpture practice was a significant and integral facet of his extensive oeuvre, with his three-dimensional artworks found in museums and art collections worldwide.

Published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Keith Haring in 3D illuminates this rarely explored dimension of Haring’s work, and its role in his enduring legacy. The book’s generous format and engaging design, including more than 350 illustrations, invites readers to immerse themselves in the world Haring created. Featuring archival photographs of Haring at work, stunning reproductions of his art in three dimensions, and a trove of essays by respected curators, scholars, and collectors, Keith Haring in 3D celebrates in stunning detail the buoyant, brilliant work of one of the world’s most iconic artists.