Safe Sex

1983

Shows of 1983: the Fun Gallery, the Whitney Biennial, São Paulo

In February 1983 he held a solo exhibition at the Fun Gallery in the East Village; that year he also had solo shows at Galerie Watari in Tokyo, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford and, for the second time, the Tony Shafrazi Gallery, and his work was shown at the Whitney Biennial in New York and the São Paulo Biennial.

1984

The Venice Biennale and a graffiti show in Italy

In 1984 he took part in the group show Arte di Frontiera: New York Graffiti in Italy and in the Venice Biennale; he showed at the Venice Biennale again in 1986.

December 1985

His first solo museum show, in Bordeaux

In December 1985 he painted The Ten Commandments to commemorate his first solo museum show at the CAPC musée d’art contemporain in Bordeaux.

March 1986

The Stedelijk Museum: a solo exhibition and a mural

He held a solo museum exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and in March 1986 painted a mural on the façade of the museum’s storage building.

April 1986

Opens the Pop Shop in SoHo

In April 1986 the Pop Shop opened in SoHo, selling shirts, posters and other items showcasing his work, to make his art accessible at reasonable prices and to break down the barrier between his art and mass culture. To the charge that he was commodifying his art he answered that he could earn more by simply painting a few things and raising the price.

1987

Diagnosed with HIV

He was diagnosed with HIV in 1987. An openly gay artist and advocate of safe sex, he used his imagery in the last years of his life to speak about his illness and to generate activism and awareness about AIDS.