“The public has a right to art.” ~Keith Haring.

I’ve been on an art book kick recently, after discovering that my local university library has some choice picks, and what better way to kick off June’s Pride month celebration than to get lost in the whimsical line art of Keith Haring! After leaving Kutztown, Pennsylvania to pursue the life of an artist in New York, Keith Haring quickly took the city by seemingly accidental storm with his army of primitive/pop art subway characters. In reality, his splash was one that came of being at the right place at the right time and having an internal drive to just do his art in whatever way possible – whether it was putting on a show in an abandoned building, papering the (blank) walls of his art school with his pieces, or spotting incongruous places throughout the city to fill with graffiti. This magnum opus chronologically explores what appears to be the vast majority of Haring’s works, paired with a healthy dose of his own writings about his life and art, a hefty retrospective interview (recorded shortly before his death at age 31), and commentary from his major collaborators that puts his work in cultural context – weighing in at over 6 pounds (and 500+ pages) of sheer, joyous creation. I may not technically enjoy all of Haring’s work, per se, since the occasional overabundance of phallic imagery and borderline pornographic content can be a bit overwhelming, but this was honestly one of the best constructed art books that I’ve read, period. Haring’s writing has an honesty that is easily accessible, and has the same appeal and unique (but somehow instantly recognizable) perspective of the world as his pop art stylings. Reading the book feels like we’re having an intimate chat with Haring as we leaf through his personal photograph album; nothing comes across as too polished, even though the reproduction quality is perfection and every piece is carefully placed to create a distinct narrative that traces Haring’s evolution from young artist about town to world-celebrated adept. By the final pages of the book, we’re left with an almost inevitable feeling of sadness that Haring died so young, but his art carries such an exuberant and informative legacy that it is clear that he lived his life to the fullest and left the world a more joyful place for his time in it. ( )

Closely based on Haring’s own concept for the monograph he wanted to publish before his untimely death, this volume represents more than a decade of research and contains a wealth of unpublished photographic and written material including drawings, studio photographs, and journal entries. From chalk drawings deep in the New York City subways to murals in Pisa and Berlin; collaborations with William Burroughs and the famous body painting of Grace Jones, this book follows the incredible trajectory of Keith Haring’s artistic career: how a young man from a small town in rural Pennsylvania came to revolutionize the art world—and the course of art history—within little more than a decade. An incredibly prolific artist, Keith Haring created countless bold, provocative, endearing, and unforgettable images that continue to inspire artists—and delight children—worldwide. Tracing the arc from his early subway "tags" to his poignant work on social issues as diverse as AIDS, illiteracy and apartheid, this visually stunning book is the definitive work on Keith Haring.