Monday, January 18, 2021

Keith Haring

 

 Keith Haring is a very short and accessible biography of the artist/icon written by Simon Doonan. Due out 23rd Feb 2021 from Laurence King, it's 128 pages and will be available in a pocket sized hardcover edition. 

This is a volume in the Lives of the Artists series of short biographies. Written in chatty and exuberant language, the style suits Haring's ebullient life and work. It's a small book, and as such doesn't go into much detail, but it provides a nice intro to Haring's world, his meteoric rise to influence, and his all too short life and career. The book isn't illustrated, but there are a number of well annotated photographs of Haring himself, collaborators, friends, and tantalizing glimpses of the rarefied world he inhabited. 

This was a very short but informative read. It's stuffed full of name-dropping celebrities and famous (infamous) parties from the 80s. I had a great deal of nostalgia reading this one, and well remember how much I loved his art and style the first time around (saving for months to afford a Haring Swatch watch). 

The book includes a very short bibliography for further reading and an index. 

Four stars. This would make a good classroom/library selection, gift, or home library acquisition. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.


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