157
Keith Haring
Untitled
- Estimate
- £100,000 - 150,000
£116,500
Lot Details
black ink, gouache and printed paper collage on paper
99 x 76 cm (38 7/8 x 29 7/8 in.)
Signed and dated '© K. Haring NOV. 19 1988' on the reverse.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
Untitled from 1998 is a perfect example of Keith Haring’s dexterity as an artist. Drawing inspiration from Andy Warhol and his contemporary Jean-Michel Basquiat, Haring believed that art constitutes the ultimate expression of individuality. This particular lot represents the distinctive elements of creative formation, influenced by previous models yet adapted and personalised to realise unique and inimitable results. In Untitled, Haring uses the image of the Mona Lisa, perhaps the most renowned portrait in Art History, yet defaces her classical representation, superimposing it with his distinctive illustrative style.
The deconstruction of classical objectivity encourages the viewer to question traditional perception and interpretation. The repeated image of da Vinci’s canvas is adapted to various degrees within its three reproductions. These interpretations form the central segment of the composition, from which Haring’s simple yet poignant line-silhouettes emerge. The artist’s characteristic reduction of form to its simplest, primary elements finds further power in its direct comparison to established art-form. The gestural depictions materialise from the paper, striking and vibrant in their impulsive execution.
The deconstruction of classical objectivity encourages the viewer to question traditional perception and interpretation. The repeated image of da Vinci’s canvas is adapted to various degrees within its three reproductions. These interpretations form the central segment of the composition, from which Haring’s simple yet poignant line-silhouettes emerge. The artist’s characteristic reduction of form to its simplest, primary elements finds further power in its direct comparison to established art-form. The gestural depictions materialise from the paper, striking and vibrant in their impulsive execution.
Provenance
Keith Haring
American | B. 1958 D. 1990Haring's art and life typified youthful exuberance and fearlessness. While seemingly playful and transparent, Haring dealt with weighty subjects such as death, sex and war, enabling subtle and multiple interpretations.
Throughout his tragically brief career, Haring refined a visual language of symbols, which he called icons, the origins of which began with his trademark linear style scrawled in white chalk on the black unused advertising spaces in subway stations. Haring developed and disseminated these icons far and wide, in his vibrant and dynamic style, from public murals and paintings to t-shirts and Swatch watches. His art bridged high and low, erasing the distinctions between rarefied art, political activism and popular culture.
Browse ArtistThroughout his tragically brief career, Haring refined a visual language of symbols, which he called icons, the origins of which began with his trademark linear style scrawled in white chalk on the black unused advertising spaces in subway stations. Haring developed and disseminated these icons far and wide, in his vibrant and dynamic style, from public murals and paintings to t-shirts and Swatch watches. His art bridged high and low, erasing the distinctions between rarefied art, political activism and popular culture.