Elie Hirschfeld and his wife Sarah Hirschfeld have always admired the vibrancy, energy and diversity that continually surge through every street, avenue, park and subway of New York City. And Mr. and Mrs. Hirschfeld continue an enduring appreciation for the work of a groundbreaking artist that forever will be associated with transformative times in this great city – Keith Haring. Elie Hirchfeld expanded his art collection this year with an original work by Mr. Haring, called Radiant Baby.
Even now, more than twenty years after his death, Keith Haring remains a symbol of New York City’s street art scene. Haring came to New York to study at the School of Visual Arts in 1978 and quickly became immersed in the city’s alternative art scene, befriending Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf and Andy Warhol. While he experimented with video, installation, collage and performance art, his true talent lay in his line paintings.
Over time, he came to be known for his distinctive style using bold, heavy lines, simple shapes and figures, and bright colors. In the ’80s, Haring gained international recognition, but he never stopped giving back to the community, creating many public murals around the world.
Keith Haring joined a long but sporadic lineage of twentieth century artists who brought elements of popular culture, “low art” and non-art elements into the formerly exclusive “high art” spaces of museums and galleries.
He drew on the techniques and locales of street-based art such as graffiti and murals, employed bright and artificial colors, and kept imagery accessible in order to grab the eyes and minds of viewers and get them both to enjoy themselves and to engage with important concerns.
Elie Hirschfeld says, “Keith Haring unifies many layers of New York City’s culture – both the refined and gritty, the cultivated, edified and self-taught. The energy carried through his artwork is unmatched. Sarah and I will always treasure the work of Keith Haring that we recently added to our collection.”