It will be the first of its kind in the UK
- TextHannah Tindle
The first UK retrospective dedicated to the work of Keith Haring will open at Tate Liverpool in June next year. Haring died in 1990 at the age of 31 from AIDS-related complications. During his lifetime the artist carved out a name for himself as part of the 1980s street-art scene in New York, later mingling with the likes of Jean Michel Basquiat, Madonna and Andy Warhol. Over 85 pieces are set to go on display at the gallery focussing on his political activism during the AIDS crisis, including the 1989 poster Ignorance = Fear, designed on behalf of ACT UP. “Keith Haring and Liverpool have much in common. They’re both politically engaged with a history of activism, a strong sense of social justice and a love of music and fashion,” said the institution’s director Helen Legg. “Tate Liverpool is proud to be bringing this major exhibition and reassessment of Keith Haring to the city.”