You Can Finally Afford a Keith Haring

The subway art that once guided New Yorkers to their pads can now enliven them permanently.

Gay street artist Keith Haring used empty advertising panels in New York City’s subway stations as canvasses for his highly stylized drawings, rhythmic lines, and interacting and intertwined figures. Before he passed in 1990 of AIDS complications, Haring created an iconic lexicon that reflected the hopes, fears, and pains of the ’80s. Haring produced hundreds of works — sometimes as many as 40 in a day — and tens of thousands of New Yorkers viewed this gallery as they traveled underground.

Now, we can all bring some of the artist’s work home, with Ruggable’s Keith Haring collection of washable rugs. Gil Vasquez, executive director of the Keith Haring Studio, said in a statement, “We’re excited to see Keith’s work come to life in this very accessible medium where people can interact in a new and interesting way.” (ruggable.com)

This piece originally ran in Out Traveler print magazine. The Spring 2022 issue is now available on newsstands.