What It Is (Tony Shafrazi Gallery)

Keith Haring began experimenting with his bold, graphic lines and cartoon-inspired figures on the walls of New York City subway stations in the early 1980s. He called them his “laboratory,” places to develop a radical new aesthetic based on an ideology of creating truly democratic public art.

Haring’s paintings, prints and murals address the universal themes of death, love and sex, as well as contemporary issues he experienced personally, like the crack-cocaine and AIDS epidemics. They derive much of their impact from the powerful contrast between these serious subjects and the joyful, vibrant pictographic language he uses to express them, full of dancing figures, babies, barking dogs, hearts and rhythmic lines, as well as references to pop culture.

To make his art even more accessible, in 1986, Haring opened the Pop Shop in Soho. In a foreshadowing of today’s intermingling of art and fashion, the shop sold merchandise and novelty items featuring imagery by Haring and contemporaries like Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat. While his works sometimes included text, for the most part, he chose to communicate through drawing. 

“Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times,” Haring once declared. “It lives through magic.”

Find Keith Haring art on 1stDibs today.

Bearbrick (or Be@rbrick) figures stand out for two main features: their simple and attractive image and their endless variety of designs. Bearbrick was published for the first time on May 27, 2001 during the Tokyo World Character Convention. It was given away as a present for its visitors. Since then, the Bearbrick has become a canvas on which designers and artists have shaped their designs. Owned by the Japanese company Medicom, the Bearbrick shows an articulated bear similar to a piece of Lego. Hence its name, the conjunction of words "bear" and "brick". The most traditional Bearbricks are made of vinyl, although they can be found in any material, wood, metal or porcelain among others. Bearbrick figures can be found in multiple series. On one hand, they are sold in what has already become popular as “Blind Boxes”, boxes that contain a certain model that belongs to a series, which is made up of a specific number of designs. What makes some figures more special than others is the probability of finding a specific design. Some Bearbricks that are included in these “blind boxes” are very limited, so these have become highly valued collectibles. On the other hand, the most exclusive side of the Bearbricks shines thanks to the collaborations between Medicom and great designers or artists. Karl Lagerfeld, Salvatore Ferragamo, Kenzo or Roberto Cavalli, are some of the high couture designers who have dressed Bearbrick. Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jackson Pollock, Keith Haring, Kaws or Pushead are some of the artists who give the artistic version to these figures.