Construction Fence, 1983

Label: Keith Haring’s interest in semiotics—the theory of signs—and his admiration for graffiti art influenced the development of his signature pictographic style. For Haring, art was a tool for communication with a wide audience. In fact, he accepted Dr. Carter’s invitation to paint the fence at the Haggerty Museum of Art’s construction site because of its highly visible location near a major highway interchange. Haring spent three days in Milwaukee—under the eyes of a very interested public—painting both sides of the construction fence, sometimes with the help of Marquette University students. One side of the fence features a lively and crowded composition of dancing and twisting figures or animal-figure hybrids, with MARQUETTE emblazoned on one end and a large three-eyed, smiling face on the other. The reverse side of the fence repeats two of Haring’s trademark characters, the “Barking Dog” and the “Radiant Baby.” Haring hoped that Construction Fence would “provide enjoyment, provoke discussion, and energize people.” Exhibition label from "HMA DNA: Collection Highlights," 2016.

Exhibition History: Urban Images, Madison Art Center, Madison, WI, 06/14/1989 - 08/27/1989 Keith Haring: Journey of the Radiant Baby, Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA, 02/18/2006 - 08/06/2006 Scrutiny After The Glimpse, Haggerty Musuem of Art, 06/04/2014 - 08/03/2014 Out of the Vaults: Keith Haring, Haggerty Museum of Art, 06/18/2015 - 08/30/2015 HMA DNA: Collection Highlights, Haggerty Museum of Art, 06/09/2016 - 01/14/2018 The Big 4-0, Vol. 2: New Views of the Collection, Haggerty Museum of Art, 01/17/2025 - 05/24/2025

Publication History: Germnao Celant et al., Keith Haring (Munich: Prestel-Verlag, 1992). Curtis L. Carter, On the Fence: Keith Haring's Mural for the Haggerty, 1983 (Milwaukee: Haggerty Museum of Art, 2005), 18.