Keith Haring Radiant Baby

An illustration of a of a person on their hands and knees. There are black lines surrounding the person and the background is white.

Keith Haring’s Radiant Baby is one of his most famous. The image represents a pure and positive experience of human existence and is symbolic of Haring’s hope for the future. Although Radiant Baby derives its origin from Christianity it has been used in many of Haring’s other works associated with racism, drug addiction, AIDS awareness and tolerance. 

Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an artist and social activist from Pennsylvania whose work was influenced by the New York City street culture and graffiti art of the 1980s. A 1997 Vanity Fair article states that "some of his most characteristic imagery involved figures twirling around and playing together, happy but never aimless." Since Haring's death from AIDS-related illness in 1990, images he created that speak about racism, drug addiction, AIDS awareness and tolerance have become iconic.