Keith Haring - Contemporary Art Day Sale London Wednesday, October 15, 2014 | Phillips

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  • Provenance

    Private Collection

  • 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.

  • 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. 

    View More Works

157

Untitled

1988
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.

Estimate
£100,000 - 150,000 

Sold for £116,500

Contact Specialist
Henry Highley
Head of Day Sale

+44 207 318 4061

Contemporary Art Day Sale

London Auction 16 October 2014 2pm