Untitled 1989
Untitled 1989
Signed Print
Keith Haring
Price data unavailable
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
29 x 32cm, Edition of 6, Etching
Medium: Etching
Edition size: 6
Year: 1989
Size: H 29cm x W 32cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: February 2014
Auction Results
Track auction value trend
Meaning & Analysis
Untitled 1989 is an etching by Keith Haring executed in blank ink and signed by the artist in pencil. The work represents minimalist aesthetics, the common feature of which is a fine contour line outlining diverse shapes and forms against a white background.
The subject matter of the work is an outdoor scene presenting an ambiguous human figure caught in motion. The human being here is not neutral and primal, as could be expected from the way in which Haring depicted his famous ‘radiant babies’ of the Icon series. The bodily shape of the central figure appears exaggerated, the size of thighs and feet disproportionate to the upper parts of the body.
Created as part of an etching edition, this work voices concerns about modern life through its interest in distortion and imperfection. In five other etchings included in the edition, the dominant figure no longer bears recognizably human features. The artist visibly intervenes in a sense of symmetry and proportion, reducing facial and bodily characteristics of the subjects to a simplistic, flat form. As such, the subject of Untitled 1989 can be seen to share a visual affinity with works raging from Picasso’s The Young Ladies Of Avignon to Matisse’s Music.
Keith Haring was a luminary of the 1980s downtown New York scene. His distinctive visual language pioneered one-line Pop Art drawings and he has been famed for his colourful, playful imagery. Haring's iconic energetic motifs and figures were dedicated to influencing social change, and particularly challenging stigma around the AIDS epidemic. Haring also pushed for the accessibility of art by opening Pop Shops in New York and Japan, selling a range of ephemera starting from as little as 50 cents. Haring's legacy has been cemented in the art-activism scene and is a testament to power of art to inspire social change
