In 1986, artist and activist Keith Haring, widely recognized for his Pop art featuring energetic lines, collaborated with Phoenix Art Museum at the invitation of Bruce Kurtz, the Museum’s then-curator of 20th–century art. Haring, who was then at the height of his career, designed marketing materials for the 1986 exhibition American Art of the 1980s. That same year, he led a mural workshop for the Phoenix community, in conjunction with another exhibition, Focus on the Image: Selections from the Rivendell Collection, that featured one of his untitled works. Haring later worked with Kurtz again, this time to conceptualize the 1991 exhibition Haring, Warhol, Disney, organized by Phoenix Art Museum. Unfortunately, the artist passed away in 1990 before the iconic show opened at PhxArt.

The Collection: Keith Haring celebrates the impactful relationship between Haring and the Museum during this vibrant period. Featured works include prints and sculptural work by the artist, archival materials documenting his visits, and bespoke marketing materials Haring created for the Museum in the 1980s.  

The Collection: Keith Haring is organized by Phoenix Art Museum and curated by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary and Community Art Initiatives, with Aspen Reynolds, Archivist, and Charlotte Quinney, Interpretation Manager.

All exhibitions at Phoenix Art Museum are underwritten by the Phoenix Art Museum Exhibition Excellence Fund, founded by The Opatrny Family Foundation with additional major support provided by Joan Cremin.