Keith Haring - Contemporary Art Evening Sale London Wednesday, February 11, 2009 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    The Estate of Kieth Haring, New York; Ben Brown Fine Arts, London; Private collection

  • Exhibited

    New York, Andre Emmerich Gallery, Keith Haring On Park Avenue, 1997 (another example exhibited); New York, Deitch Projects, Keith Haring Sculpture, 2005 (another example exhibited); London, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Keith Haring, Sculptures, Paintings and works on paper, 2005

  • Literature

    Exhibition catalogue, Andre Emmerich Gallery, Keith Haring On Park Avenue, New York, 1997, p.12 (illustrated); 
    Exhibition catalogue, Deitch Projects, Keith Haring Sculpture, New York, 2005, p.32 (illustrated); Exhibition catalogue, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Keith Haring, Sculptures, Paintings and works on paper, London, 2005, p. 43 (illustrated)

  • Catalogue Essay

    Keith Haring on the writings of Jean Dubuffet and the work of Christo:
    "The thing I responded to most was their belief that art could reach all kinds of people, as opposed to the traditional view, which has art as this elitist thing.The fact that these ‘influences' happened to come along change the whole course I was on." (D. Sheff, ‘Keith Haring: An Intimate Conversation', Rolling Stone, August 1989)
    When considering the sculptural legacy of Keith Haring,Willem de Kooning is another 20th Century artist whose work comes to mind, along with Dubuffet and Christo: both Haring and de Kooning were able to translate what had initially been signature two-dimensional styles into sculptural objects with breathtaking success. Bound together with only the simplest gestural lines, both artists' three-dimensional outputs are nonetheless immediately legible and coherent when considered within the larger context of their respective bodies of work.
    While the monumental figural sculpture has a long history, Julia has a visual immediacy and emotional expressiveness that is unforgettable. Whether the form is interpreted as that of a female Flamenco dancer in classical ‘come-hither' mode, or as a posture fromTai Chi, the energy and grace embodied speak volumes.
     A work like the present lot presents a storied history in several ways; aside from its reference and connection to iconic Haring drawn and painted figures, its appearance around the world in public settings since its execution has etched it into the collective memory of contemporary art in the late 1980s - a time when few artists managed the sort of wide celebrity now considered more commonplace. Whether collected permanently in the Meijer Sculpture Gardens in Grand Rapids, or on the Plaza of the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, or as presented in numerous temporary exhibitions around the world, Julia is a pop touchstone of her era, and continues an important legacy of the artist as a public intellectual and emotional resource. Haring said of his painted aluminium sculptures that they looked "...like bright, shiny toys that should be played with", (taken from cybermuse.gallery.ca) a sentiment is seems Julia would likely share.
     

  • Artist Biography

    Keith Haring

    American • 1958 - 1990

    Haring'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. 

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32

Julia

1987
Painted aluminium.
243.84 x 199.39 x 148.59 cm. (96 x 78 1/2 x 58 1/2 in).
Incised ‘K. Haring' and numbered of five on the base. This work is from an edition of five plus one artist proof.

Estimate
£350,000 - 450,000 

Contemporary Art Evening Sale

12 Feb 2009, 7pm
London