Influenced by his cartoonist father and popular culture, American artist Keith Haring began making art at a young age. Moving from Pennsylvania to New York in the 1980s proved incredibly influential; soon after he arrived in the city Haring was working alongside fellow artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf. He developed a highly distinctive style of cartoon-like icons, including dancing figures, barking dogs, and an infant emitting rays of light—his “Radiant Baby.” Haring used this singular visual language as a tool for activism, producing more than 50 public artworks around the world, taking advantage of his increasing fame and influence to support humanitarian causes. Prior to his death at age 31, Haring established the Keith Haring Foundation to support AIDS-related causes and educational initiatives.

–Carly Davis, from the Glenstone Field Guide