Keith Haring: Subway Drawings
“The subway drawings were, as much as they were drawings, performances. It was where I learned how to draw in public. You draw in front of people. For me it was a whole sort of philosophical and sociological experiment. When I drew, I drew in the daytime, which meant there were always people watching…”
— Keith Haring
Exhibition Essay by Dr. Amy Raffel: “Keith Haring, Subway Drawings”
The work of international art star Keith Haring has often been characterized as quintessentially of the eighties—an embodiment of the decade’s street art, hip hop, and urban energy in New York…
Reflection by Alex Trimper: “What Keith Haring Has Meant to Me”
In the 1980s the world was a very different and less welcoming place for anyone questioning their sexuality and sexual identity…
On the Authenticity of the Subway Drawings
As a non-collecting museum that nearly always exhibits the work of living artists, BMAC rarely encounters difficult questions concerning the authenticity or provenance (ownership history) of the artwork we exhibit…
RELATED EVENTS
February 18, Saturday, 5 p.m. — Opening Celebration: Keith Haring: Subway Drawings
March 16, Thursday, 7 p.m. — Subway as Studio: Amy Raffel on Keith Haring
March 23, Thursday, 7 p.m. — A Brief History of the Poster
March 30, Thursday, 7 p.m. — Director’s Tour: Subway Drawings
April 14, Friday, 8 p.m. — Radiant Baby Dance Party
RELATED RESOURCES
Virtual tour
Installation views
Keith Haring in the BMAC Shop
Banner Image: American artist Keith Haring (1958-1990) drawing on a subway platform in New York City, circa 1982. Photo by Laura Levine/Corbis via Getty Images
Keith Haring quote from Rubell, Jason. “Keith Haring: The Last Interview”, Arts Magazine, Sept. 1990
