Swatch x Keith Haring Mouse Mariniere GZ352

Swatch x Keith Haring Mouse Mariniere GZ352

Together with one of the most celebrated pop art and graffiti-like artists in the world, Swatch and Keith Haring pay homage to the world’s most recognizable cartoon character, Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney was an early influence on Keith Haring. Raised on Disney cartoons, Mickey Mouse was an early favourite of Haring’s.

The son of an illustrator, he used tutorials from a book at his grandmother’s house to learn to draw Mickey Mouse, as he developed his own
hand as a draftsman. Keith Haring saw Mickey Mouse as a symbol of the United States and reflects his teenage dream of a career at Disney.

Haring once stated that his favourite character was Minnie Mouse – “Because she can get me closer to Mickey.” He also stated that Mickey Mouse is "ultimately a symbol of America more than anything else."

Disney seems to have been a topic of fascination for Haring even as a young adult, writing about a trip to Disneyland in 1977, he stated “What a trip! It was like another world”

Haring used Mickey Mouse as a naïve, child-like figure in his work, using him to install joy and innocence in paintings which simultaneously capture the grit and darkness of the 1980’s