Keith Haring. The Alphabet. Exhibition, The Albertina Museum, Vienna: 16 March-24 June 2018

Impulsive, lively and carefree are the words that describe the work of Keith Haring (1958-1990), American artist and social activist who would have celebrated his 60th birthday this year, 2018.

The typical iconography of his oeuvre includes dancing animals and figures, crawling babies, and random objects like pyramids, televisions and flying saucers, all portrayed with a sense of raw energy and movement. His artistic styles reflects the pop and street culture of New York in the 80s. His drawings are similar to the cartoon images used on advertisements in New York subway stations and communicate a sense of fun. However, underneath the surface lie important themes of birth, death, love, sex, war, religion, social injustice and the constant transformation of society.

The images are simple and accessible to anyone, without the need for critical analysis. Haring exploited his flamboyant artistic style to capture the attention of the world, using his artwork to transmit messages and sentiments to as many people as possible. This commemorative exhibition places a special focus on the artistic alphabet the Haring used to connect and communicate with the public, which remains just as powerful today as ever.

The Albertina Museum

Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Wien, Austria

Opening hours

Daily, 10.00-18.00

Wednesday and Friday, 10.00-21.00