20 Things You Didn't Know About Keith Haring

Get to know the man behind the symbols.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Today, Keith Haring is a household name, some 23 years after his untimely death from AIDS at the age of 31. Haring played an integral part in redefining what "art" was for his generation (including the generation that followed), blurring the lines between traditional fine art and what was considered vandalism at the time. From chalk drawings on New York City subway platforms to galleries and public spaces around the world, Haring took the art world by storm in the mid 1980s. But like most great artists, he was too far ahead of his time.

His vision and talents as an artist, combined with his attitudes toward sexuality and social activism, gave him a platform to speak to and affect the lives of many—but few knew the man behind the semiotics, sneakers, and round glasses. In honor of the expansive retrospective of his work currently on view at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris through August 18, here is your chance to get to know him better with 20 Things You Didn't Know About Keith Haring.

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20. He wasn't a native New Yorker.

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19. At age 10, he said he wanted to be an artist in France.

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18. At 12 years old, he was a "Jesus freak."

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17. He started a Monkees fan club.

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16. He loved Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, and Charles Schultz.

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15. The Shining was his favorite horror movie.

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14. He was a Dead Head.

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13. In 1977, he financed a cross-country trip by selling anti-Richard Nixon shirts.

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12. He bought art supplies at Pearl Paint on Canal Street.

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11. His first solo exhibition in New York was at age 24.

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10. He worked as a wildflower picker on the New Jersey Turnpike.

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9. He took Andy Warhol to Madonna's wedding as a +1.

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8. He was invited to paint on the Berlin Wall.

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7. He had a thing for Juans.

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6. He is the reason the Bowery Graffiti Mural Wall is still a thing.

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5. He was told by advisors that he was making too much work.

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4. His Sesame Street animations were made by someone else.

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4. His Sesame Street animations were made by someone else.

For '80s and '90s babies, Sesame Street may have been one's first exposure to Haring's work. The animations were in fact made after his death by Bill Davis, with the approval of the Keith Haring Foundation.

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3. He never officially came out to his parents.

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2. At his funeral, his spirit told Yoko Ono to pocket his ashes...allegedly.

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1. On his death bed, one of the last things he drew was the "Radiant Baby."

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