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.
1983 ink drawing on photographic paper 19 7/8 x 15 3/4 in. (50.5 x 40 cm.) Signed thrice, titled, inscribed and dated "K. Haring Photo: Tseng Kwong Chi, Model: Bill T. Jones Keith Haring 1984 April 24" on the reverse.
Estimate $30,000 - 40,000
Sold for $75,000
Contact Specialist Benjamin Godsill
Head of Sale
bgodsill@phillips.com +1 212 940 1260