From New York to Rome: Keith Haring comes to Palazzo Braschi

From the streets of New York to the historic rooms of Palazzo Braschi, Keith Haring’s art has found a new home in Rome. From October 6, 2026, to April 11, 2027, the Museo di Roma at Palazzo Braschi opens its doors to Keith Haring: Art Without Borders, an exhibition dedicated to one of the most recognizable artists of New York’s turbulent 1980s.

Curated by Kaoru Yanase, Ilaria Miarelli Mariani and Claudio Zambianchi, the exhibition brings together more than 140 pieces drawn from the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection, the largest collection in the world dedicated to the artist.

Haring’s work was never meant to stay inside a museum. His art was born in the streets, the subway and the hectic landscape of New York. His simple lines, his Barking dog, his Radiant Baby, and his Dancing figures, became iconic figures that could be recognized almost instantly. At the heart of the exhibition is Haring’s deep belief that art is for everyone.

Inside Haring’s world

From the first room, visitors are immersed into Haring’s unmistakable universe. The exhibition also highlights his connection with Italy, where the artist left his mark during the 1980s.

Before his work entered any museum, Haring was drawing in the New York City subway. His famous Subway Drawings transformed empty advertising panels into temporary canvases, turning everyday journeys into unexpected encounters with art. From there, the exhibition moves through his iconic imagery, including the figures that would become instantly associated with his name.

But behind the playful characters and colorful images lies a much more serious side of Haring. Moving through the rooms, his work becomes intrinsically connected to the political and social issues of the time. LGBTQ+ rights, racism, violence, AIDS and apartheid all become subjects of his visual language. Apparently simple, his art holds messages that are not as easy to comprehend.

“Life is so fragile. It is a very fine line between life and death. I realize I am walking this line”

wrote Haring in 1986.

The words take on particular weight in the exhibition’s final section. Apocalypse and Altarpiece: The Life of Christ, created during the last years of his life, reveal a darker and more introspective dimension of the artist. Altarpiece is displayed inside the chapel at Palazzo Braschi, creating an unexpected dialogue between Haring’s contemporary visual language and the historic space surrounding it.

The exhibition ultimately returns to the idea that defined Haring’s career: art is for everyone. His drawings began on subway walls and moved into galleries, schools, hospitals and public spaces. In Rome, they now occupy the rooms of the Museum while still preserving their message.

Haring’s art was born in the streets of 1980s New York, but that does not mean that his language is not still relevant today. More than thirty years after his death, his figures still live for those who are willing to see them.