Keith Haring

Joost De Clercq, Knokke
Private Collection, Switzerland
Sale: Sotheby's, London, Contemporary Art, 22 June 2005, Lot 48
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Knokke, Casino Knokke, Keith Haring, 1987
Milan, Fondazione La Triennale di Milano, The Keith Haring Show, 2005, p. 192, no. 32, illustrated in colour
Lyon, Musée d'art contemporain, Keith Haring, 2008, p. 160, no. 18, illustrated in colour

Germano Celant, Ed., Keith Haring, Munich 1997, no. 38, illustrated in colour

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate although the green is slightly more teal and the red is slightly more red-orange in tone in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is very light surface dirt along all four edges. There are a few very small paint losses to the top figure's knee towards the centre. No restoration is apparent under ultra violet light.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity stamped by The Estate of Keith Haring.

Keith Haring's outstanding Untitled from 1983, presented on a monumental scale, is a classic emblem of the artist's best work.  Originally executed in true urban style in the New York subway station as one of his celebrated 'Subway drawings', Haring would go on to develop this composition as the basis for the present painting (see fig.).  Seeking to communicate with a wider audience, Haring first discovered the unused advertising panels covered with matte black paper in New York's subway in 1980 and found them to be the ideal medium to create his lively white chalk drawings which would become the foundation for much of his art.  Adopting a distinct style epitomized by chunky bold lines and rhythmic patterns, Haring's images began to proliferate in the underground and conveyed a raw primitivism which became immediately identifiable to the everyday commuter.  For Haring, the subway became a "laboratory" as he referred to it, for experimentation dissolving the boundaries between gallery and street advertising, fine art and graffiti.  These drawings established his mature vocabulary of forms and found a surprising power within the fragility of the medium defying vandalism and gaining widespread respect and acceptance in the realm of fine art.

Untitled sees the direct transmission of these early formative drawings onto a monumental tarpaulin, adding bi-chrome drama to the human plight against the mechanised anthropomorphic beast of modern technological progress.  By highlighting his figures and shapes in vibrant colours of red and green, Haring's original black and white study immediately comes to life.  The chaos that radiates from his scene – figures proceeding across the bottom edge as if in a ritualistic dance, the floating computer screen generating intense waves of energy, and the giant caterpillar form sprawling across the centre of the composition topped by its leader waving a baton – is a non-sensical rhyme yet is all the more endearing.  The sheer scale of Untitled is remarkable, as it is one of the largest works Haring produced in 1983.  His paintings from this time were generally in three sizes, and the 120 by 120 inch version being the grandest.

Enrolling at the School of Visual Arts after moving to New York, Keith Haring immersed himself in the literary semiotic breakdown of his teacher Joseph Kosuth and Andy Warhol's visual simplifications and blurring of high and low culture. Labelled a Pop artist from early on his career, Haring's artistic concept also incorporated philosophies of conceptual and earth art. As a close friend and contemporary of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Haring was highly involved in the club and street culture of the East Village, Manhattan, and in 1980 embarked on a public art project that would span his entire career. The early 1980s were of critical importance for Haring as he had his first solo exhibition in New York and was beginning to achieve international recognition and acclaim.  In 1982, he made his Soho gallery debut with an extremely popular one-man exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery and later participated in renowned international survey exhibitions such as Documenta 7 in Kassel, the São Paulo Biennial and the Whitney Biennial.