This print from Keith Haring’s Pop Shop I portfolio is intimately dedicated to Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane, wishing the pair a Merry Christmas. Jones and Zane were the co-founded the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dane Company in 1983 and maintained a long-lasting personal and professional relationship with each other until Zane’s death from AIDS in March 1988, only three months after Haring gifted them this print. Both renowned dancers counted Haring among their circle of friends, especially following the trio’s collaboration on Secret Pastures, a 1984 production choreographed by Jones and Zane that premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with set pieces designed by Haring. The performance explored politics, economics, race, and sexuality, depicting men dancing with each other and interracial communities. Such themes and subjects were deeply personal for the three artists, who all faced the wrath of the AIDS epidemic as it swept through their community and America at large.
Bill T. Jones also notably collaborated with Haring for a 1983 project in which the visual artist painted his signature graffiti-inspired marking all over the choreographer’s body in white acrylic paint, a process which took over four hours to complete. The results were astounding: against the contrast of Jones’ Black body, Haring’s motifs almost appeared to glow. The most enduring product of the body paint session was the now-iconic photos of Jones taken by photographer Tseng Kwong Chi, in which Jones is posed in positions inspired by his style of modern dance against a stark white backdrop. The photos became some of the most recognized imagery of the time, an unequivocal symbol of freedom of expression in an era in which identities such as Jones’ and Haring’s were being attacked with fear and vitriol on the political stage. As Jones himself described the emotional impact of the collaboration, having his body on full display with Haring’s markings: “I felt powerful… I felt bigger than myself.”
“The Pop Shop makes my work accessible. It’s about participation on a big level.”
—Keith Haring
Keith Haring’s Pop Shop I series embodies the artist’s commitment to making art accessible to everyone. Created in 1987, the series features Haring’s now-iconic bold, vibrant colors, thick black lines, and simple, yet dynamic human figures. Haring was deeply influenced by the street art and graffiti he encountered in New York City during the 1980s, and, as his success as an artist grew, he continually sought to bring art out of closed-off gallery spaces and into the public realm. Pop Shop, Haring’s store which opened in New York in 1986 and in Tokyo in 1987, was an extension of this philosophy, allowing him to sell affordable items featuring his artworks, such as posters and t-shirts, so that his work could reach a wider audience. The present lot from Pop Shop I, showing two figures with their arms around each other, exemplifies the themes of unity, friendship, and social harmony that were central to Haring’s artistic mission and public message. The artwork is a vibrant celebration of human connection, reflecting Haring's desire to create works that could inspire and uplift people in their everyday lives, and his belief that art should be for everyone.
“The use of commercial projects has enabled me to reach millions of people whom I would not have reached by remaining an unknown artist. I assumed, after all, that the point of making art was to communicate and contribute to culture.”
—Keith Haring
