KEITH HARING (AMERICAN 1958-1990)
MONTREUX JAZZ POSTER (YELLOW) - 1983
£575
Auction: 16 April 2020 at 12:00 BST
Description
Screenprint, unframed
Dimensions
100cm x 70cm (39.5in x 27.5in), full sheet
Footnote
Biography: Keith Haring had a startlingly brief but intense career, spanning just over a decade. He learnt basic cartoon skills from his father, and studying popular culture such as Dr. Seuss and Walt Disney, before starting to train as a commercial graphic artist. But it was moving to New York City that set his path; there he discovered a thriving alternative art community in the streets, subways and clubs, he quickly made friends and became a part of this scene. Inspired by artists like Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Alechinsky, Christo and Andy Warhol, Haring’s aim was to create a truly public art, using his graphic skills. The subway became his artistic laboratory, when he started drawing with white chalk onto unused advertising panels that had been covered in matte black paper, becoming a familiar presence in the city and developing his distinct visual language.
Between 1980 and 89, he gained international recognition, with exhibitions across the globe and a huge number of high-profile collaborations with other artists, musicians and designers. Always committed to disseminating his work as widely as possible, he established the Pop Shop in 1986, selling affordable goods with his drawings on them. After being diagnosed with AIDS in 1988, he established his foundation, which continues to expand the audience for his work, while generating funding for AIDS organisations and children's programmes, as he had intended. An icon within contemporary art, Haring created a visual language that remains instantly recognisable across the world – his dream realised.