Chronicle: Imako Tanaka – “Hiroshima Keith Haring Saw,” Part 3
Apr. 24, 2025
In 1984, Haring wrote in his diary, “An artist is a spokesman for a society at any given point in history.” He conveyed his messages about issues, such as anti-apartheid, AIDS prevention and awareness, and improving recognition of sexual minorities through his art. If a commission aligned with his philosophy, he would create works anywhere, in children’s hospitals, churches, and on beaches.
In 1990, he died of complications from AIDS at the age of 31.
The year after he was diagnosed with AIDS, Haring founded the Keith Haring Foundation. The foundation has supported groups that help children and organizations involved in HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and care through Haring’s legacy. Royalties paid to the foundation when businesses use Haring’s art on T-shirts help support people’s lives, and consumers also become supporters, regardless of their interests.
In 2007, the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection opened as the only museum in the world to exclusively feature Keith Haring’s artworks. Managed with the approval of the Keith Haring Foundation, the museum holds more than 1,000 works and materials collected since the 1980s by Kazuo Nakamura, its director and collector.
Artworks created in the big city are now appreciated in a majestic natural setting, 1,000 meters above sea level, at the southern foot of Mt. Yatsugatake. This reflects Mr. Nakamura’s belief that Haring’s “humanism” is essential for modern society. (Chief curator of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection in Yamanashi Prefecture)
(Originally published on April 24, 2025)
In 1990, he died of complications from AIDS at the age of 31.
The year after he was diagnosed with AIDS, Haring founded the Keith Haring Foundation. The foundation has supported groups that help children and organizations involved in HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and care through Haring’s legacy. Royalties paid to the foundation when businesses use Haring’s art on T-shirts help support people’s lives, and consumers also become supporters, regardless of their interests.
In 2007, the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection opened as the only museum in the world to exclusively feature Keith Haring’s artworks. Managed with the approval of the Keith Haring Foundation, the museum holds more than 1,000 works and materials collected since the 1980s by Kazuo Nakamura, its director and collector.
Artworks created in the big city are now appreciated in a majestic natural setting, 1,000 meters above sea level, at the southern foot of Mt. Yatsugatake. This reflects Mr. Nakamura’s belief that Haring’s “humanism” is essential for modern society. (Chief curator of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection in Yamanashi Prefecture)
(Originally published on April 24, 2025)
