ANDY WARHOL & KEITH HARING

«Of course, by the time Haring appeared, Andy Warhol was already the pop of Pop. And Pittsburgh isn't all these two very American artists had in common. Both were prolific, dared to create all over the place, and had the audacity to be informal and casual-seeming about art, which misled critics already determined to find them frivolous. Both were gay and - perhaps, at some level, because of that - had an extra drive to be anointed as popular and famous. Haring didn't have Warhol's range, or complexity, or genius at getting under the skin of the culture. But one could say that Haring became a sort of mini-Warhol and, in one way, went beyond his idol. Because of the tenor of the times, Haring's queer sexuality was much more out-front than Warhol's enigmatic image, behavior, and sensibility. But Warhol's need to belong, to be a star among stars, was shared by Haring. He was an American kid who equated-at least at the beginning-success with public recognition and media validation.»

Vanity Fair
July 1997