“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 colours, 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 eachother, 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
