One of a Kind: The Rarest Pieces from our Collection

In 1966 Pasmore relocated to Malta. The light and landscapes of his new home soon began to influence the aesthetic of his work. His geometry softened, his colours brightened, and his lines and edges began to curve and wander. It's too simplistic however to claim that the artist was merely producing abstracted versions of the island's topography. Pasmore was too sophisticated for that. He once stated that:"What I have done is not the process of abstraction from nature but a method of constructing from within".

We can say that much of Pasmore's work is based on processes rather than the effects and causes of nature. Despite its title this piece is not a stylised landscape painting. The physical process of creating the image, the structure of it and the physicality of the materials used are of primary importance and generate their own reality. Very often the line between painting and sculpture is blurred. "Idea for Desert Sand" expresses these qualities beautifully. A complex construction of wood, paper and paint, it captures the essence of what made Pasmore so revolutionary. 

'Idea for Davide' shares similarities with the screenprint "Untitled 11 (lime green)" made in a limited edition of 30 in 1991. It was produced at 2RC Edizioni d'Arte, Rome, the printmaking studios where Pasmore spent a lot of time working out ideas for his prints.

As with 'Idea for Desert Sand', this painting is signed with the artist's initials. Pasmore often included his initials as a visual element in his compositions during the 90s. In 1993 he explicitly connected this with the personal nature of his work, stating: ‘I’m an emotional painter...I always sign my work VP because actually that’s the whole content: me. Otherwise it’s just paint.’

A fabulous animation cell produced for a cartoon broadcast in the iconic series Sesame Street. Haring would have thoroughly appreciated his imagery being used in a series famous for its inclusivity and kindness. Although created after his death these animations were designed with the close collaboration of the Keith Haring Foundation, and are a wonderful illustration of the artist's spirit of inclusivity and compassion. 

In the late 1980s the production team behind Sesame Street reached out to Haring to explore the possibility of creating several short animation pieces for use on the programme. Unfortunately, Haring passed away at the tragically young age of 31 in February 1990. In 1989 he had set up the Keith Haring Foundation to continue his artistic and philanthropic legacy, promoting the distribution of his art.

The animation project was continued under the close supervision of David Stark, whom Haring had personally appointed to the Foundation. Seven cartoons were produced in total. They were first broadcast between November 1992 and February 1993 and were used repeatedly for over a decade. Each animation cell within our collection is one of a kind; since they come from the original animation sequence, there is only one piece in existence for each frame.