Keith Haring: Subway Drawings

February 18 - June 11, 2023

“The subway drawings were, as much as they were drawings, performances. It was where I learned how to draw in public. You draw in front of people. For me it was a whole sort of philosophical and sociological experiment. When I drew, I drew in the daytime, which meant there were always people watching…”

— Keith Haring

Exhibition Essay by Dr. Amy Raffel: “Keith Haring, Subway Drawings”
The work of international art star Keith Haring has often been characterized as quintessentially of the eighties—an embodiment of the decade’s street art, hip hop, and urban energy in New York…

Reflection by Alex Trimper: “What Keith Haring Has Meant to Me”
In the 1980s the world was a very different and less welcoming place for anyone questioning their sexuality and sexual identity…

On the Authenticity of the Subway Drawings
As a non-collecting museum that nearly always exhibits the work of living artists, BMAC rarely encounters difficult questions concerning the authenticity or provenance (ownership history) of the artwork we exhibit…

 

RELATED EVENTS

February 18, Saturday, 5 p.m. — Opening Celebration: Keith Haring: Subway Drawings
March 16, Thursday, 7 p.m. — Subway as Studio: Amy Raffel on Keith Haring
March 23, Thursday, 7 p.m. — A Brief History of the Poster
March 30, Thursday, 7 p.m. — Director’s Tour: Subway Drawings
April 14, Friday, 8 p.m. — Radiant Baby Dance Party

RELATED RESOURCES

Virtual tour
Installation views
Video: “Keith Haring: Subway Drawings” Behind the Scenes with BMAC Director Danny Lichtenfeld
Keith Haring in the BMAC Shop

SELECTED PRESS

Review: Vermont | Keith Haring: Subway DrawingsArt New England (May/June 2023)
Four BMAC events explore life and legacy of artist Keith HaringManchester Journal (3/23/23)
Keith Haring’s ‘Subway Drawings’ on display at Brattleboro exhibit— (WCAX 3/23/23)
A ‘visual soundtrack’: Brattleboro museum displays and celebrates work, life of Keith Haring — Brattleboro Reformer (3/22/23)
Keith Haring NYC Subway Drawings Make a Stop in BrattleboroSeven Days (2/22/23)
What to see this winter at local museums, from rare Keith Harings to new artists — Vermont Public (1/18/23)
BMAC to exhibit ‘subway drawings’ by renowned pop artist Keith Haring The Commons (1/18/23)
Keith Haring Subway DrawingsBerkshire Fine Arts (1/11/23)
What art to See This Winter — Wonderland (1/3/23)

Keith Haring quote from Rubell, Jason. “Keith Haring: The Last Interview”, Arts Magazine, Sept. 1990