- 83
Keith Haring
Description
- Keith Haring
- Jerk Off (Juan Dubose)
- signed and dated OCT. 14-81 on the reverse
- sumi ink on paper
- 38 1/2 by 50 in. 97.8 by 127 cm.
Provenance
Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach
Christie's, New York, 22 July 2015, Lot 71 (consigned by the above)
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner
Condition
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
The desire that Haring felt for Dubose is evident in the present work, which is one of the most daringly honest and intimate portraits in Haring’s oeuvre. Haring created this portrait in 1981 at the beginning of his love affair with Dubose – a time of passion, excitement and discovery for the couple – well before the deterioration of their relationship, Haring’s infidelity and the devastating onset of the AIDS virus.
Signed and dated K. Haring OCT 14-81 on the reverse, this early work on paper is rendered in Haring's iconic sumi ink squiggles and framed with the artist's signature border, seen in numerous other unique works on paper from the same period. Across a stark white sheet, we witness a rare sense of naturalistic mimesis that still maintains the economy of line characteristic of the artist’s idiosyncratic visual lexicon. As such, Jerk Off (Juan Dubose) offers a unique invitation to a moment of self-reflection, which is intrinsically bound to an enshrinement of the vitality of life. Synergizing the tabulated code of graffiti, Haring positioned himself as the artist-provocateur, responsible for speaking out against inequity, warning against oppression, and connecting with a public audience on issues such as AIDS, racism, mass-media, ecological preservation and nuclear technology. Having grown up in the 1960s as part of a generation exposed to counterculture, the Vietnam War and race riots, Haring cultivated a self-proclaimed social consciousness that inevitably seeped into the fabric of his art.