Keith Haring’s Andy Mouse series – depicting Andy Warhol as an utterly cool, larger-than-life cartoon mouse – is a fitting homage from one Pop artist to another. Warhol and Haring shared a fascination for icons of Americana. Haring grew up drawing Mickey Mouse in his notebooks and dreaming of working at Disney, while Andy wanted to be Walt himself. He once stated that his favorite character was Minnie Mouse – “Because she can get me closer to Mickey.” By portraying Andy as a Mickey-like figure, Haring elevates his subject to American icon status; an ubiquitous piece of culture as commonplace and recognizable as Disney and the dollar bill. The work is considered highly significant in Haring’s oeuvre, well-regarded for its bold graphics, complex composition, sense of humor and postmodern references to Pop iconography.
