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The Arts Intel Report

Keith Haring: Amsterdam Notes

Keith Haring, Amsterdam Notes, 1986.

Aug 9 – Nov 5, 2023
Museumplein 10, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands

In 1986, Keith Haring was preparing for his first solo museum exhibition at the Stedelijik. He decided to do something big. The 125-foot panorama he drew, in black ink and red acrylic, contains human figures who float, mutate, and make love. Small fish, a playful nod to his surname (which in Dutch means “herring”), appear here and there, along with a weird whale. Rein Wolfs, the Stedelijik’s director, calls the work “a holy grail for Haring fans.” Almost three decades since it was last exhibited, Amsterdam Notes now hangs in the museum’s IMC gallery. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: © Keith Haring Foundation, Amsterdam Notes/Collection Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam