01/12/2025
Artist: Keith Haring (1958 - 1990)
Title: Rain Dance - 1985 - A benefit for the African Emergency Relief Fund
Date: 1985
Size (w x h): 22 x 31,1 in / 56 x 79 cm
Publisher: United States Committee for UNICEF
Materials and Techniques: Offset lithograph
🇬🇧 Additional Details:
Keith Haring rose to prominence in the early 1980s with his graffiti drawings made in the subways and on the sidewalks of New York City. Haring developed a distinct street art, pop-graffiti aesthetic centered on fluid, bold outlines against a dense, rhythmic overspread of imagery like that of babies, barking dogs, flying saucers, hearts, and Mickey Mouse.
In his subway drawings and murals, Haring explored themes of exploitation, subjugation, drug abuse, and rising fears of nuclear holocaust, which became increasingly apocalyptic after his AIDS diagnosis.
Alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, and Jenny Holzer, Haring is regarded as a leading figure in the New York East Village Art scene in the 1970s and ‘80s.
This poster was created for the 1985 benefit, organized by Keith Haring to raise funds for the African Emergency Relief Fund of the United States Committee for UNICEF, which was fighting the famine in Ethiopia.
The poster features combined work from five prominent artists: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Yoko Ono, and Andy Warhol. Notably, Lichtenstein’s contribution was an image specifically created for the project.
The fundraising events included a one-night benefit held at Paradise Garage (later the Pop Shop) on Lafayette Street on January 30, 1985, followed by an exhibition and sale that ran from February 2–23, 1985, as part of the 1985 New York Pop Shop.
🇫🇷 French translation available in the comment section ⬇️
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