Located in Japan: The Only Keith Haring Museum in the World

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The only museum in the world solely dedicated to the artwork of Keith Haring is surprisingly not in New York City, where the artist lived and died, but in Japan. In the city of Hokuto in the Yamanashi Prefecture is the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection, housing over 300 works by the artist. The collection is now available to view online, where virtual visitors can see 156 iconic Haring works.

Dr. Kazuo Nakamura began collecting Keith Haring’s work in 1987, and he established the museum to showcase his collection in 2007. The museum frequently hosts workshops and events to continue on Haring’s legacy of passion for the arts and education. Nakamura’s collection is full of Haring’s most iconic themes and motifs, from UFOs, dogs and his “Radiant Baby” imagery. The artwork featured in the museum ranges from dealing with New York City’s drug problem to LGBTQ+ issues surrounding the AIDS/HIV crisis.

Dr. Kazuo Nakamura, founder of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection.

Like many museums and galleries around the world, the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection has created an online viewing experience, free and available to you in your home. Working with Google’s Arts and Culture feature, they’ve made a significant portion of the collection available to the public. This is another example of how the art world is adapting to the quarantined landscape of today. Even after this period of isolation and shut downs, this option is still a great opportunity for people around the world who do not have the ability to travel to Japan to see the collection in person. Accessibility to art has long been a debated issue, and bringing art to the everyday person was what Haring was all about. Haring was famous for his graffiti drawings in the New York City subway system and all around the city on the sides of buildings, often getting arrested for vandalism.

To see the available works from the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection click here.

Browse Masterworks Fine Art Gallery’s collection of Keith Haring here.