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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines

Dec 1, 2019 – Apr 13, 2020
180 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3006, Australia

“When I die there is nobody to take my place,” the artist Keith Haring wrote in his journal, and he wasn’t wrong. Nearly three decades after Haring’s tragically early death, his work remains as singular as it is influential. “Crossing Lines,” an exhibition exclusive to Melbourne, sets Haring’s art alongside that of his contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat, who also died young. Examining the artists through shared themes—for instance, the streets of New York City were a subject both returned to often—the exhibition places Haring and Basquiat within the larger social world that enveloped them both. —J.V.

Installation view of “Keith Haring | Jean-Michel Basquiat: Crossing Lines” at NGV International © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York © Keith Haring Foundation. Photo: Tom Ross.