Keith Haring

Galerie Templon, Paris
Estate of Fredrik Roos, Stockholm
Arij Gasiunasen Fine Art, Palm Beach
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall. There is light surface soiling. There are scattered nicks and scratches in some cases with minor associated paint loss (most prevalent on the bottom yellow figure). There are very small (1/8 inch) areas of inpainting on the blue figures hands.
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.

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Estate of Keith Haring, New York.

Keith Haring's sculpture Untitled illustrates the fluid evolution of his work from street art to fine art.  At its inception, Haring's canvas was the urban landscape; "bombing" subway cars and city walls with spraypaint, his art belonged to the streets. Eventually bringing graffiti art into the galleries by trading the cityscape for tarps, found objects and then canvases and editioned sculpture, Haring was the first artist to confer a conventional sense of artistic legitimacy to the graffiti style. His work pioneered the acceptance of street-art into the art historical canon, paving the way for his peers, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Sharf, LA2, Futura 2000, and Fab Five Freddie.  While Haring had drawn and painted on found objects before, it wasn't until 1985 that he began fabricating sculptures in the likeness of the dancing babies and barking dogs found in the flat works. 

Haring's drawings, paintings and sculptures are imbued with motion. By lifting the figures off the flat surface, this sense of kineticism is given a physicality that immediately reminds us of breakdancing. Haring frequented clubs such as Club 57, the Mudd Club and The Roxy and would have seen breakdancers there, as well as in the streets and parks of the East Village.  Jeffery Deitch captured how the music of Haring's environment was manifest in his art:  "[Haring] seldom works without music, and not only Haring, but the figures he's painting seem to rock to the beat... Like a master rapper who can rhyme line after line in a never-ending cadence, Haring keeps unfolding his images with a visual syncopation."¹  The present work, Untitled, from 1986 exemplifies this illusion. Composed of three stacked figures crouching, reaching and turned on their head, this work embodies palpable movement.  Three dancers are connected in motion, rocking to the beat.

1. Jeffrey Deitch, "The Radioactive Child," Keith Haring, Amsterdam: Reproductie Asdeling, Stedelijk Museum, 1986, p. 11.