Between May 27 to October 8, the Broad Museum in Los Angeles will show over 120 pieces of art and archival materials created by legendary painter Keith Haring in a landmark exhibit titled Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody. Organized by curator and exhibitions manager Sarah Loyer, Art Is for Everybody will be the first large-scale museum survey of Keith Haring’s work in Los Angeles.
Haring is known for his graffiti-inspired art, which is instantly recognizable by his bold color choices and minimalist, energetic line work. Though he passed away when he was just 31 years old, he produced an enormous oeuvre (which includes over 10,000 pieces) that have had a huge effect on pop culture—these days, you can find a Haring on everything from a Uniqlo T-shirt to sticky notes.
Art Is for Everybody will be divided into 10 galleries and will give visitors an intimate peek into the artist’s life. In addition to his paintings, drawings, and sculptures, the exhibit includes personal items owned by Haring like toys, buttons, and posters created in support of activist causes. The artifacts and artworks that will be displayed span from the ’70s (when Haring was a student) to 1988, two years before he died in 1990 of AIDS-related complications. Guests can look forward to seeing works that were already in the Broad’s collection like Red Room (1988) and Untitled (1984) as well as pieces from the Keith Haring Foundation in New York, which the artist established in 1989. The Broad’s museum shop (known as the Shop), will also undergo a transformation to look like Haring’s Pop Shop, which he saw as an extension of his work and a way to make his art accessible to anyone.
While visitors are at the Broad, they can also view art created by some of Haring’s contemporaries, including Andy Warhol, Kenny Scharf, and Jean Michel-Basquiat.
On June 1, following Art Is for Everybody’s opening, the Broad will hold a conversation between Haring biography author Brad Gooch and choreographer and Haring collaborator Bill T. Jones as part of its Un-Private Collection series, where the museum aims to make art more understandable and accessible to the public.
At the core of Haring’s artistic practice was the belief that art should be for everyone.
Courtesy of the Keith Haring Foundation
How to plan your visit to “Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody”
Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody will be on view at the Broad from May 27 to October 8, 2023. Tickets will be available for purchase beginning on Friday, April 14, at 10 a.m. via the Broad’s website. Tickets for adults will be $22, student can get in for $15, and admission will be free for children 17 years old and under. (General admission to the Broad is free, but does not include access to special exhibitions like Art Is for Everybody or Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away.)
If you’re planning a trip to Los Angeles around this exhibit, both Hotel Figueroa and the Miyako Hotel are located within a short drive from the Broad. Hotel Figueroa, which is eight minutes away, is a historic property that offers old school Hollywood charm and modern luxury. Miyako Hotel is Japanese owned and located in the heart of L.A.’s Little Tokyo, just a five-minute drive from the Broad and home to some of the best eats in the city.
