The Universe Of Keith Haring
What:
The Universe Of Keith Haring
Where:
Out this week on DVD through Madman
Watch the trailer:
Here
Win:
Thanks to Madman, we have a DVD to give away! To enter, email win@threethousand.com.au with the subject line 'Art is for everyone!'
On the corner of Russell and Little Lonsdale Streets is an 'art' shop where you'll find wonky approximations of New York artist Keith Haring's signature 'Radiant Baby' silhouettes and black-and-white line work. What made this influential 1980s art star's ostensibly simple paintings so much better than any lame rip-offs? Christina Clausen's biodoc leaves us to figure that one out for ourselves.
Instead, the film celebrates New York's much-celebrated '70s and '80s underground culture. Haring's 'universe' encompassed collaboration with musicians and dancers, nightclubbing and many public murals. (The film includes two in Melbourne: at Collingwood Tech and the NGV water wall.) There are interviews and archival footage of Haring's family and friends, who included Madonna, Junior Vasquez, David LaChapelle, Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono.
I found myself musing sadly on what Haring might have produced had he not died of AIDS in 1990 at just 31. He comes across as lovely and generous - the kind of guy you wish was your friend. The best scenes show him painting in bold, assured lines, without preliminary sketches, never making mistakes. Here was a truly exceptional talent that seems easy to copy, but is impossible to match.
Format: DVD
Mood: Nostalgic
Keywords: America, Street Art, Keith Haring
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