Market Watch Keith Haring: Top 10 Most Investable Prints

In his 1986 series, Haring playfully honours Pop Art legend Andy Warhol, portraying him in Mickey Mouse shorts and ears. Deeply influenced by Warhol, Haring credited him with enabling his artistic journey. This vibrant tribute exhibits Haring's mastery of screenprinting, utilising seven colours and limited to 30 editions. The Andy Mouse series is a coveted masterpiece, embodying the essence of Pop Art and Haring's skill. While complete sets are rare, recent trends, as outlined in our Five-Year Print report, indicate a rising demand. A full set fetched a record breaking £990,387 (with fees) in the September evening sales, showcasing its enduring value despite economic challenges. This work has consistently appreciated in value, with an average selling price (ASP) of £669,353 (with fees) across six sales, contributing to its current market cap of £20 million.

Haring's first print from the Andy Mouse series, titled Andy Mouse 1 (1986), captures his contemporary, Andy Warhol, in a playful manner. Warhol, sporting spiky grey hair, retro shades, and orange Mickey Mouse shorts and ears, confidently stands with a pile of $0 bills around him. This charming cartoon character meets the viewer's gaze, embodying the essence of Warhol's relationship with art and consumerism. This specific work is exceptionally rare in the market and has firmly established itself among Haring's top-selling prints in 2023. Recently, it made a significant impact at a Japan auction house, selling for £106,821 (with fees) for a special editioned Hors Commerce. Special editioned prints have been trending in the American Pop market this year. This recent sale marked the print's return to the secondary market since 2016 when it fetched a slightly lower price of £104,500 (with fees) at Christie's.

Additionally, within the sought-after Andy Mouse series, Andy Mouse 2 (1986) continues to affirm its demand and value this year. In this artwork, Warhol is portrayed as a Mickey Mouse caricature, enjoying a lively rave scene surrounded by Haring's distinctive gender-neutral characters. With Warhol sporting spiky pink hair against a vibrant green background, the piece exudes a playful and irresistibly appealing vibe. Notably, this work was recently sold at Sotheby's in October 2023, achieving a price of £187,999 (with fees), securing its position as the third-highest selling print among Haring's collection for 2023.

Haring's Flowers series, a collection of five vibrant and surreal prints, was created shortly before his tragic passing in 1990. Featuring phallic plants, these prints serve as a powerful symbol of the gay community's fight against AIDS and societal misconceptions. The interwoven shapes exude energy and a sense of collective resistance. Haring's late career was deeply influenced by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which he ingeniously portrayed in this expressive series, showcasing his brilliance in depicting societal and personal struggles through vibrant colours and cheerful imagery, encapsulating his entire artistic oeuvre. This highly coveted set, even rarer than his previous Andy Mouse series, achieved a remarkable £173,534 (with fees) in April, making its first appearance since 2021 and setting a new auction record. With 12 successful sales, it stands out as one of Haring's top-selling prints of 2023, appreciating in sales value year-on-year (YoY).

The first installment of Keith Haring's six Pop Shop sets, Pop Shop I, showcases his playful caricature figures in dynamic interactions, conveying their vibrant energy through their movements. This set includes various images all executed with the same five colours. In October 2023, the complete set of these artworks made a rare appearance at Sotheby's, marking its third time on the market in the past five years. This collection achieved £146,144, not only securing a top spot among Haring's best-selling works but also setting a new record for this print and ranking as the highest-performing Pop Shop complete set to enter the market.

Part of Haring's 1980s Growing series, Growing 4 (1988) showcases his iconic continuous line technique. In this artwork, a central figure is surrounded by extending figures, collectively resembling a branching tree, a signature motif of unity in Haring's visual language. While Haring explored various themes in different series, a common thread across his work is visual activism and unity. An exclusive Trial Proof (TP) of Growing 4 featuring a vibrant red backdrop appeared in the market in April. This unique edition garnered significant attention, selling for £101,220 (with fees), securing its position among Haring's top ten selling prints for 2023.

Haring's Dog (1985) print features a depiction of a humanoid dog standing upright, surrounded by stick figures, televisions, dogs, and various other caricatures within the dog's body. This artwork, seldom seen in the market, made a single appearance in 2023 and achieved a sale price of £83,146 in October at Christie's, marking the second-highest result for this particular piece.

Growing 3 (TP) (1988) exemplifies the prominence of Haring's special editioned prints and the impact of this significant series. The artwork centres around an intricate Aztec-inspired design radiating from a stick figure at its core, extending throughout the print. While it appears nearly symmetrical at first glance, close examination reveals subtle differences in the intricate details. The main edition features a yellow and black colour scheme, but a rare mauve and black TP of this work, sold in April for £75,915 marking a record price. This sale, the first appearance of the piece since 2021, showcased a remarkable 78% increase in its sales value.

In the April sale at Christie's, four TPs of Haring's Growing prints were sold in the same sale. This sale consolidated their positions among Haring's top-selling prints for 2023. Growing 1 (1988), pictured above, showcases lively caricatures emanating from the figure's head at the bottom, forming a totemic pole feature. Through their dynamic appearance—dancing and celebrating—the figures create a sense of unity through Haring's iconic 'people ladder' technique, a recognisable element he consistently employed in various prints. The appeal of these prints lies in their vibrant energy, demonstrating Haring's talent for creating figures and illustrations that convey a positive visual language, transcending gender, race, and class boundaries. A TP of this print sold for £75,915 (with fees) in a rare colourway.