In February 1989, as the news spread that Keith Haring had died of complications resulting from AIDS, he was mourned around the world. The thirty-one-year-old artist had been known worldwide as the high-spirited and creative talent behind a vast body of work consisting of cartoon-like images that he set down with deft pen and brush-strokes, often spontaneously. Noted as a muralist and graffiti artist, much of Haring's work could almost be considered performance art due to its creation in front of audiences of passersby. Glorifying the street culture of the inner city, Haring's work held a vast appeal; his graphic images transcended race, culture, and geography, joining the "high" art of the exclusive galleries with the mass art of the common people. Representing the common character of humanity through his cartoon renderings, Haring's political and social activism became increasingly visible throughout his brief career. The posthumous publication of Keith...