Keith Haring was an American artist known for his graffiti-inspired drawings. He was born in 1958 in Pennsylvania and grew up immersed in cartoons. In the late 1970s, he moved to New York City to study art. There, he befriended other emerging artists and found inspiration in street art. Haring began painting on subway walls and stations, creating iconic figures and images. While his graffiti work brought him attention, it also resulted in arrests. Haring had his first gallery showing in 1982 and went on to have international success, though he died of AIDS-related complications in 1990 at the age of 31.