'Simple, Cheerful,' World Renowned

By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

‘Though he died in 1990, in many ways Keith Haring is still alive. His art is everywhere. There are Haring T-shirts, Haring shoes, Haring chairs. You can buy Haring baseball hats and badges and baby-carriers and playing cards and stickers and keyrings.
“Keith Haring’s work pops up all over the place – his radiant baby, the barking dog, the dancer, the three-eyed smiling face. Simple, cheerful, upbeat, instantly recognisable ...
“But Haring did much more than provide cute cartoons ... His art faced outwards. He wanted to inform, to start a conversation, to question authority and convention, to represent the oppressed.”
Miranda Sawyer
The Guardian, June 2, 2019, on opening of major Haring exhibit at the Tate Liverpool

The Fenimore’s come a long way, baby, from “Grandma Moses: Grandmother to the Nation,” 15 years ago, to Keith Haring, the highlight of the museum’s 2021 season.

If Grandma Moses harkened back to simpler times, Haring’s concerns – though he died on Feb. 16, 1990 – are center stage in the 21st Century.

“It’s a whole new ballgame,” said Fenimore President/CEO Paul D’Ambrosio. “It’s very different from what you’d expect from The Fenimore.”

The Fenimore’s season begins April 1, but anticipation is centering on “Keith Haring: Radiant Vision,” which will open May 29, Memorial Day Weekend, and run through Sept. 6, Labor Day.

It will include more than 100 pieces, D’Ambrosio said.