Untitled

"Keith Haring spent three weeks in Italy in June of 1984. During this time, he produced all of the works for his show at Galleria Salvatore Ala in Milan, as well as an installation at the Venice Biennale. The paintings, which were the main body of the show in Milan, were among the artist's first works with acrylic paint on streched muslin. Keith Haring explained this choice: "I chose to begin painting with acrylic because of the wide range of color I had been ignoring in my previous works on vinyl. I think I also just wanted to prove that I could paint, or do anything, if I wanted to. I chose muslin because the surface was smooth and more delicate." (R.F. Thompson and D. Hockney, Keith Haring Journals, New York 1996, p. 87)