Albertina Museum Vienna Explores Keith Haring's Visual Alphabet

The Albertina Museum in Vienna presents 'Keith Haring. The Alphabet', an exhibition running until June 24, 2018, that examines the semiotic and aesthetic language of the American artist (1958–1990). Organized on what would have been Haring's 60th birthday, the show features around 100 works from private collections and international museums, focusing on the symbolism he developed. Haring, who studied semiotics at the School of Visual Arts in New York, created a visual alphabet inspired by ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, using symbols like the barking dog (justice), flying saucer (space), light bulb (bright idea), ghost (death), and dollar sign (critique of consumerism). His art, known for 'crawling' babies, barking dogs, and dancing figures, conveyed messages against elite violence, minority oppression, apartheid in South Africa, and the AIDS crisis, which claimed his life in 1990. The exhibition reveals the sources behind Haring's transition from street artist to international art star.