Keith Haring

Overview

No artist captured the zeitgeist of 80s New York as vividly as Keith Haring. Emerging from the city's graffiti subculture, he was part of the first generation to be raised in a post-Pop world. He cut his teeth on comics, TV, computers and advertising, and his work is replete with references to contemporary US culture. An openly gay artist and political activist, his work also embraced acute sociological concerns, from racism and the AIDS crisis to the crack cocaine epidemic and the Cold War. Above all else though, his work can be viewed as an unabashed celebration of life and an invitation to participate in an open dialogue with humanity. 

 

From the very beginning of his career Haring was determined to create art that could be seen and understood by everybody. Between 1980 and 1985 he created over five thousand chalk drawings on the New York Subway, working quickly and without preparation in order to avoid arrest. It was through these works that Haring was able to perfect his unique and direct approach to imagery. Between 1982 and 1989 he produced more than fifty public murals and artworks for schools, daycare centres and hospitals. In 1986 he founded the Pop Shop as a way to open his work to an even wider audience. 

 

Haring was a devoted printmaker, viewing the process as a natural bridge between his unique works and his commercially produced designs for the Pop Shop. The accessibility and democracy of his work was of paramount importance throughout his career, and the prints occupy a significant position within his oeuvre. The collaborative nature of the printmaking studio was also very much in keeping with his philosophy. He explored a wide variety of media, producing screenprints, lithographs, etchings, woodcuts and embossed prints at various points in his career. His editions were created with publishers across the world, most notably in the United States, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Japan. His final graphic works were produced a month before his death. 

 

Haring's work is in consistently high demand, and his prices at auction have increased by over 100% during the past five years. Our collectors have long appreciated his iconic aesthetic, open-hearted spirit and stellar market performance.

 

If you would like more information on investing in Haring, why not take a look at some of our most recent articles featuring his prints. 

 

ARTICLES

Works
Enquire

Send me more information on Keith Haring

Please fill in the fields marked with an asterisk
Receive newsletters *

* denotes required fields

We will only use your data only to answer your question unless you sign up to recieve our newsletter and then we will send you information about events, offers and our weekly email. You can read our privacy policy here.