Keith Haring Gets Graphic Novel

The out PA artist and others are the subject of a new series

Keith Haring has become an art hero in not only in his native Pennsylvania, but around the world, thanks to his iconic figures that got their start on the New York subways. Bluewater Productions is paying tribute to Haring and other gay and bisexual artists in a new series of graphic novels – Milestones of Art. German artist Willi Bloess is telling Haring’s story, as well as those of Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol and others.

Haring’s book begins in the late 1970s when he was busy decorating the walls of New York’s subways with his two-dimensional characters and tags, like the now famous “Radiant Baby.” Bloess traces Haring’s rise to fame from graffiti artist to fine artist, as well as his myriad of messages, before his untimely death from AIDS complications in 1990 when Haring was just 31 years old.

A hero to Haring and many other artists during the same time period, Andy Warhol also gets the graphic novel treatment with a look at his early career and years at The Factory. The book also discusses his shocking shooting and his ongoing relationships with 20th century celebrities with drawings by Annette Schulze-Kremer.

It’s not only the guys that are spotlighted. We also get a glimpse at the life of Frida Kahlo, the “Daughter of the Mexican Revolution.” The book starts with her Mexican childhood and horrific accident she suffered at the age of 18 – one that would forever change the course of her life and art. The book reminds us that she created as many as 70 self-portraits during her career, often painted when she was sick and bed-ridden as the result of complications from that accident. The novel also touches upon her life with Diego Riviera and her other love affairs.

Looking to give one of these gifts for the holidays? Each 40-page graphic novel is available at the Comic Flea Market, as well as on iTunes and for the Nook and Kindle.