Keith Haring Retrospective at the MAM Paris

 

The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, in association with Le Centquatre, is devoting a wide-ranging retrospective to American artist Keith Haring (1958-1990). In 1978 he wrote , “I only wish that I had more confidence and try to forget all my silly preconceptions, misconceptions, and just live. Just live. Just. Live. Live till I die.” Although his years were short (his was cut short by Aids at the age of 32), he was very prolific. He drew and painted on any surface available. His work appeared on paper, sidewalks, walls, subways, refrigerators, t-shirts and massive vinyl tarps. While at first glance the work is humorous and playful, they unveil Haring’s subversive personal concern about sexuality and discrimination as well as the wider subjects of equality, violence, inhumanity, politics, and human rights. His unwavering commitment to these causes is the focus of the current retrospective.

It is only fitting for this event to be held in Paris. The city has special significance to Haring. He took part in the Figuration Libre France/USA show presented in 1984 at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris hanging side by side with Basquiat at a time where he wasn’t yet being recognized at the same level at home.

Haring became attached to the city and often stayed, worked and exhibited here. In 1987 he painted a monumental fresco on the outside wall of the Necker children’s hospital in Paris. This fresco has now fallen into disrepair and a charity sale  has been organized to raise funds for the restoration, coordinated by The Hospitals of Paris, in association with gallery owner Jérôme de Noirmont(who used to represent the artist in France) and the Haring Foundation of New York,  in cooperation with Sotheby’s. Many of the works, donated by the Haring Foundation, are by French and American Contemporary artists who knew Haring: Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Mapplethorpe, Herb Ritts, Yoko Ono, George Condo, Jeff Koons, Futura and Niki de Saint Phalle. The auction has been timed to coincide with the opening of the retrospective exhibition at the MAM.

While the Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition The Political Line has been curated to bear witness to the importance of Haring’s work in its entirety, the spotlight in particular is held to the profoundly political content of his art, as apparent in his work on apartheid in South Africa, the threat of nuclear war, the destruction of the environment, homophobia and the AIDS epidemic. The show will be held in two venues concurrently. In total allmost 250 pictures on canvas and tarpaulins will be showcased at the MAM, as well as twenty of his monumental works which will be exhibited at Le Centquatre contemporary art space, making this one of the largest presentations of Keith Haring’s works ever.

 

 

 

The Political Line • April 19 to August 18

Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris
Open Tuesday-Sunday
10 am – 6 pm Late closing Thursday, 10 pm
www.mam.paris.fr

Le Centquatre
5, rue Curial – 75019 Paris

Tuesday-Sunday : 3 – 7 pm
www.104.fr