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Since the 1980's, a new
presence has been seen and felt in New York City's street and subways. Radiant
Babies, Barking Dogs and Zapping Spacecraft, drawing simply and with great authority,
have entered the minds and memories of thousands of New yorkers. Our instant familiarity
with this new pantheon of characters coincides with our rapid recognition that
a sympathetic sensibility is at work in our midst. This call to attention, stronger
than that exerted by the colossal glut of advertising or official signage, sets
the work of Keith Haring apart from other graffiti writers. The man responsible
for all this cheer never signs his work Keith Haring's gift to the public is generous
and heartfelt - a celebration of the spirit that is not and cannot be measured
in dollars.
-- from the Intoduction
to Art in Transit
by Henry Geldzahler
| Complete essay. |