SIZE MATTERS — Celebrating Monumental Works of Art

Keith Haring was one of the 20th century’s most influential artists and social activists whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s. His drawings have become a universally recognized image.

Born in Pennsylvania in 1958, Keith Haring moved to New York City in 1978 and began using the city as his canvas, making chalk drawings in subway stations. His art was eventually seen everywhere from public murals and nightclubs to galleries and museums around the world.

Major icon of the American Pop Art, his imagery is now an integral part of the 1980s culture and his glyphs have become a widely recognized visual language, a sort of urban tribal language.

FERTILITY SERIES Keith Haring’s enthusiasm and fascination with babies and pregnant women –both iconic imageries in his work – certainly stemmed, in part, from growing up in a large family but also from his friends having children – he was particularly impacted by the pregnancy of the wife of his friend, the artist Kenny Scharf.

In 1983, he worked on this silkscreen series, using his signature bright color palette to depict pregnant women dancing in an energy recalling the African fertility dances. The whole series is a stunning tribute to womanhood.