When most people hear the name Fab 5 Freddy, they might first think of Blondie’s Debbie Harry giving him a shout-out in their song “Rapture.” Of course, as the original host of Yo! MTV Raps, Freddy helped introduce rap music to millions of viewers around the world. But long before that, Fred Brathwaite — a he was born —was an influential figure in New York City’s downtown art scene, moving effortlessly between graffiti culture, contemporary art, music, and film. His painting The Return of God to Africa (1984) is a vibrant reminder that his creative vision extends far beyond music. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Fab 5 Freddy, The Return of God to Africa→
There are certain artists whose visual language is so instantly recognizable that you can spot their work from across the room —or, in this case, across a gallery floor attached to a Land Rover.
I recently stopped by Keith Haring in 3-D at Free Parking, a pop-up exhibition in the West Village dedicated to a lesser-discussed but wildly fun part of Keith Haring’s career: the objects he transformed beyond the canvas. While Haring is most famous for his subway drawings, radiant babies, barking dogs, and dancing figures that helped define downtown New York in the 1980s, this show focused on his three-dimensional works — including two of his rare painted art cars. Continue reading Keith Haring in 3-D: When the Canvas Has Four Wheels→
Kenny Scharf (b. 1958) moved to New York City in 1978 to attend the School of Visual Arts, and rose to prominence in the downtown art scene alongside his friends Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Influenced by popular culture and comic books, Scharf’s distinctly colorful and dynamic work presents joyful worlds filled with carton and anthropomorphic characters. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Kenny Scharf, Inside Out→
Moments before entering The Broad Museum in Downtown Los Angeles to see Keith Haring’s comprehensive career retrospective Art Is For Everybody, I (coincidentally) received an email reviewing the show. The article was titled Is Art for Everybody? Despite being very familiar with Haring’s work, I wanted to avoid any spoilers, so I waited to read the article; however, as I walked through the exhibit, that headline stuck with me.
In the 1980’s, Andy Warhol befriended several young artists of notoriety, including Keith Haring, with whom he also collaborated. Celebrated for his public and socially conscious art, Haring is pictured here with his then-boyfriend, DJ Juan Dubose. This portrait (1983) is rare, within Warhol’s oeuvre and in the visual culture of its time, in its depiction of intimacy between an interracial same-sex couple.
Photographed, Against a Wallpaper Comprised of Warhol’s Silkscreened Celebrity Portraits, in The Jewish Museum in Upper Manhattan
