Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring

Gooch (Rumi’s Secret) takes a rewarding deep dive into the life of pop artist Keith Haring (1958–1990), from his small-town Pennsylvania roots to international fame. Gooch zeroes in on Haring’s role in the vibrant New York City street art scene starting in the late 1970s, when he graffitied streetlamps and walls with cartoon-inspired characters and used the black paper pasted over expired subway advertisements for chalked drawings—often of crawling babies—that he sometimes created in front of crowds. Also explored are Haring’s artistic relationships with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, art critics’ insinuations that his work was unserious or overly commercial (suggestions that multiplied after the 1986 opening of his Pop Shop, which sold self-branded merchandise), and his work on such causes as children’s education and HIV/AIDS awareness (he was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1988). Drawing on more than 200 interviews with Haring’s friends, family, and colleagues, Gooch captures the innovative, whirlwind creative spirit of the artist, who continued working and planning projects just weeks before dying from complications of HIV/AIDs at age 31. Shot through with details that bring to life the tumultuous social ferment of the era, this honors the inimitable spirit of a defining figure in the art world. Photos. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary. (Mar.)