This is a short biography of the artist. It is well written and researched and offers a good overview the artist's brief life and career. The author does a good job with exploring the impact Haring had a modern art and the marketing of it. There are photographs of the artist but there are no illustrations of his artwork. Reader will have to google for examples. This is a quick short read. Enjoy

Interesting overview of a prolific artist. I liked how in-depth they went into his story but I do wish they had talked a little more about the details of his art.

Excellent, accessible book on Keith’s life and work. Ideal for those who want to learn more about the person behind the famous doodle like barking dog, dancing people and radiating baby that have become pop culture icons in their own right.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I have loved and admired Keith Haring, his work and specifically his political work.
This short book gives an intimate glimpse into a life of a fascinating artist whose life was cut way too short.
You will read this book in one go. Simon did a really good job balancing the personal details, with Keith emerging as an artist.
Recommend it to anyone who is interested in (street) art history, the 80's, LGBTQ issues.

Although it was a short read, it was absolutely wonderful! Packed with an amazing way of introducing Keith's life and art. The writing style is captivating and easy.

Keith Haring is one of those artists whose legacy perfectly fits into the landscape of even current-day pop culture. If someone has not heard of him, they surely have seen bits of his works around.

A small, but perfectly formed, biography of the iconic street artist, Keith Haring, whose instantly recognisable, art has been a mainstay of pop culture for some 40 years now. From his humble beginnings in Pennsylvania, where he inherited his Dad's passion for cartoons, to his globe-trotting life as a celebrated artist - painting the Berlin Wall, a monastery in Pisa, etc etc, this pocket-sized biography contains a lot of information about Haring's short but productive life.
The one thing that was missing from this book for me, was any images of his art. There were some great photos of him hanging out with various muses / celebrities / boyfriends / etc. but no photos of his art, which felt like a miss. It would have been great to have images of the Crack is Wack mural, Tuttomondo in Pisa, or the Parisian children's hospital mural, all of which have passages dedicated to them in the book. As it was, I had to keep Googling all the references to see what was being discussed. Other than that, this a great introduction to Haring's life.

Simon Doonan's "Keith Haring" is a very approachable biography on a very approachable and playful artist Keith Haring. Doonan is not an art critic and probably that is why this biography has its undeniable charm. It is more about Haring's success and his social life in New York City and beyond in the 1980s.

Doonan's present tense biography, with occasional personal notes, paints Haring's drug use, sex life and commercialism as they were without any judgment or criticism and focuses on Keith Haring's fabulous short life. Haring, as an artist against the art establishment, has achieved so much in such a short life time collaborated with renowned artists and surrounded by celebrities, still without losing sight of urgent social issues such as AIDS and inequality. Haring life is nicely captured in this charming short book.

For readers looking for an in-depth biography of Keith Haring, they might be advised to go elsewhere, but this is a zippy, casually conversational , yet compassionate overview of Haring's humble beginnings, rise to fame and celebrity and untimely passing. in the unmistakably breezy voice of Simon Doonan. Only Doonan could get away with such phrases as "Haring was becoming a 'thing"' without being accused of laziness - you can practically hear him reading in your ear. Easily read in one sitting, it read much like a long-form article, though that's not to take away from Doonan's incisive positioning of Haring as arguably the defining artist of the 1980's and his place in the zeitgeist; perhaps even defining it, with his deceptively simple cartoonish figures coupled with social commentary, particularly on the crack, and AIDS epidemics. Doonan cleverly underscores the freshness and relevance of Haring's cult of personality and his art 40 years later by a spot-on musing on the man Haring and his chosen entourage would be today. Despite his brevity, Doonan sketches Haring as such a fascinating and influential figure, that he leaves one to wonder why, besides John Gruen's 1991 full-length biography released just a year after his death, Haring hasn't risen to the ubiquitous biographical status enjoyed by his hero and mentor Warhol. Perhaps in time, though for now, Simon Doonan provides an enjoyable step in that direction.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. One note, was curious why the e-book was not available to send to Kindle - reading on app was difficult to navigate.

Over 3 years working in an Art book shop, i've slowly been learning more about individual artists such as Haring.
His work is immediately recognisable for me, but the more I read, the more I realised that there is so much more to Keith Haring than his popular works.

What impressed me most was the way Doonan wrote this book, instead of simply 'stating the facts of Haring's life and work', Doonan sounded like he was writing about a friend.

The pictures were delightful and unexpected, as whilst I could pick out Haring's artwork in seconds but I wasn't familiar with the way he looked.

As soon as we're allowed to open and order again, I will 100% ensure we stock at least one copy of this in our Artists A-Z section for the book shop. I would love to read about other artists in such a charming way.

Colorful, bright, and interesting, this book captivated me and showcased the artist we know and love.

I am endlessly intrigued by Keith Haring, so I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of Keith Haring by Simon Doonan to read and review from NetGalley. Due out 23rd Feb 2021 from Laurence King, it's 128 pages and is a volume in the Lives of the Artists series of short biographies.

Simon Doonan writes in a chatty style and as I read I was back in the '80s. While it is a rather short, quick read, it doesn't go very in-depth into Haring's life.

It would be a good introductory to the life and times of Keith Haring.

Keith Haring is a very short and accessible biography of the artist/icon written by Simon Doonan. Due out 23rd Feb 2021 from Laurence King, it's 128 pages and will be available in a pocket sized hardcover edition.

This is a volume in the Lives of the Artists series of short biographies. Written in chatty and exuberant language, the style suits Haring's ebullient life and work. It's a small book, and as such doesn't go into much detail, but it provides a nice intro to Haring's world, his meteoric rise to influence, and his all too short life and career. The book isn't illustrated, but there are a number of well annotated photographs of Haring himself, collaborators, friends, and tantalizing glimpses of the rarefied world he inhabited.

This was a very short but informative read. It's stuffed full of name-dropping celebrities and famous (infamous) parties from the 80s. I had a great deal of nostalgia reading this one, and well remember how much I loved his art and style the first time around (saving for months to afford a Haring Swatch watch).

The book includes a very short bibliography for further reading and an index.

Four stars. This would make a good classroom/library selection, gift, or home library acquisition.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Haring is brutally honest in his diaries about the harshness of the art world and this is the aspect that hits home, that feels personal and absolutely relatable.

I was interested in reading about Harding’s life, as he seemed a fascinating character and I have loved his art since the 1980s. However, this was quite a short book, focusing on surface and not really delving deeply enough into the heart of the man. It felt like a reminiscence from a friend rather than an analytical biography, and it suffered as a book because of this. It was still interesting, but I wouldn’t recommend this for someone who wants a detailed exploration of Haring’s life and works.

I love Simon Doonan as an author. This is a short book detailing the high and low points of Keith Haring's life and work written in Doonan's easily readable and chatty style. It never patronises but also never assumes that you know a lot of detail and I think it strikes a good balance of educating and informing while also entertaining. On the strength of reading this I have already bought one of the books Doonan recommends in the bibliography at the back as I am very interested in finding out about Haring in more detail. A great book.

A succinct overview of Harding’s life, this is a good and wick read on the successful artist. The author offers pertinent and personal insight, but greater detail would have been welcome

YES! Finally! I have been waiting for a way to learn about the artist I have art, sweatshirts and sneakers inspired by. Would recommend to those fans out there wanting to learn more about the LGBTQ icon and artist.

I really enjoyed this book. Only shirt, but very comprehensive, and really paints a vivid picture of Keith Haring’s life, and especially the art world of late 70s/80s New York amidst the vibrant gay scene and the looming shadow of AIDS. I had seen an exhibition of his work in Liverpool and this was a great read to flesh out the life behind the art.