While the shop was criticised by the art world elites, Haring defended it in saying that this was yet another way in which his work attempts to break down the barriers between high art and low art. His work wears down the white cube model of the contemporary gallery, with murals and sculptures that take up public spaces as well as his Pop Shop which sold his designs in the form of everyday commodity. Keith Haring Foundation Photo by Tseng Kwong Chi, 1986, Muna Tseng Dance Projects, Inc., New York.Īnother queer-identifying artist whose life was lost at the hand of HIV/AIDS, Keith Haring was an artist whose pop aesthetic and playful designs led him to international acclaim. You can see the impact Mapplethorpe had on other artists at the second part of this exhibition here:
![nyc gay pride 2019 body painting nyc gay pride 2019 body painting](https://www.advocate.com/sites/advocate.com/files/2017/05/04/billtjonesaaax750.jpg)
After his death, the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation raised millions in funds for medical research of the infection. His death due to complications of HIV/AIDS is one of countless casualties that arguably resulted from the United States government's then disappointing and unsympathetic response to the epidemic. He undeniably pushed the boundaries in art, and consequently in visual culture as the shift from a heteronormative male gaze gave way to a more inclusive take on eroticism. Regardless of the problematic nature of certain aspects of his work, Mapplethorpe was a seminal figure in the gay community and the arts from the 1970’s until his death in 1989. Constantly at the forefront of controversy, his work has sparked public debate about censorship and art funding, as well as the objectification of black men in the gay community for his solo exhibition Black Males and subsequent book The Black Book.
![nyc gay pride 2019 body painting nyc gay pride 2019 body painting](https://st3.depositphotos.com/1955233/17132/i/450/depositphotos_171329462-stock-photo-altar-to-remember-the-dead.jpg)
A celebrated photographer known for his often divisive subject matter, his work ranged from portraits of socialites, statuesque figures of nudes, and scenes from underground BDSM gay scenes in New York. Perhaps one of the first names that comes to mind when mentioning artists and gay identity is Robert Mapplethorpe.
![nyc gay pride 2019 body painting nyc gay pride 2019 body painting](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/brad-goreski-ftr.jpg)
Guggenheim Museum, New York Gift, The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, 1993 Robert Mapplethorpe, Self Portrait, 1980, gelatin silver print.