TAMPA, FLORIDA.- The Tampa Museum of Art presents the special exhibition Keith Haring: Art & Commerce, A Tribute to the Pop Shop, until June 11, 2006. The exhibition serves as a tribute to the artist’s Pop Shop, a retail space in New York’s SOHO district that closed its doors in 2005, nearly 20 years after its inception and 15 years following the artist’s death in 1990 at the age of 31. Keith Haring opened the Pop Shop in 1986 and sold inexpensive clothing and gift items that featured his unique designs. Critics viewed the Pop Shop as crassly commercial, yet the artist’s vision always was more about art than commerce. Today, perceptions have changed and Haring’s work serves as an important model for a new generation of entrepreneurial art producers. The exhibition will showcase more than 100 objects, some never exhibited before, including works on paper, ephemera and discontinued Pop Shop products that spanned the artist’s career.

The exhibition is organized by independent curator Jade Dellinger for the Tampa Museum of Art , in conjunction with the Keith Haring Foundation. The Pop Shop (1986- 2005) was intended to be an extension of Haring’s work, a fun boutique where his art could be accessible to everyone. For nearly 20 years, the shop continued to be a downtown attraction with floor-to-ceiling murals and affordable products that featured Haring’s well-known visual icons. His work continues to be displayed world-wide in galleries, museums, and in public spaces. The Tampa Museum of Art will transform its Bank of America Gallery to recreate the Pop Shop environment for visitors to enjoy as well as gain a sense of what the Pop Shop was all about.

In 1978, Haring moved to New York and became immersed in the burgeoning East Village club, art and social scene. A few years later his very public subway chalk drawings soon brought him fame as he drew on unused advertising spaces that were covered with black paper. Over the course of five years, Haring made hundreds of subway drawings while using this forum to develop his iconic characters that include flying saucers, barking dogs and his personal “tag” – the radiant baby. These images can be seen in the works showcased in the exhibition.

Haring experienced commercial success in the ensuing years before his death. His friendship and collaboration with Pop Art icon, Andy Warhol, influenced his decision to open the Pop Shop, as well as his ability to embrace the business side of art. While Haring achieved financial success with his work, his personal philosophy always had more to do with art than commerce. Throughout his career, Haring devoted much of his time to charitable work. He produced artwork for hospitals, children’s daycare centers and orphanages. Haring donated profits from the Pop Shop to charity, and prior to his death, he established the Keith Haring Foundation, which to this day pays tribute to the artist, his work, and his vision. The exhibition is sponsored locally by Verizon.