The Valley Page 5
The Valley Page 5
Signed Print
Keith Haring
£2,050-£3,050Value Indicator
$4,250-$6,500 Value Indicator
$3,800-$5,500 Value Indicator
¥20,000-¥30,000 Value Indicator
€2,400-€3,600 Value Indicator
$21,000-$30,000 Value Indicator
¥390,000-¥580,000 Value Indicator
$2,750-$4,050 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
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Medium: Etching
Edition size: 80
Year: 1989
Size: H 36cm x W 30cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2023 | Rago | United States | |||
| November 2014 | Hampel Fine Art Auctions | Germany |
Meaning & Analysis
This signed etching from 1989 is a limited edition of 80 from Keith Haring’s The Valley series. The Valley Page 5 marks a distinct shift in Haring’s artistic style, depicted in detail with intricacy and very fine lines, showing an unusual image of a man’s head with his skin seemingly rotting from his skull. The Valley series is a group of etchings that were made in collaboration with beat poet William S. Burroughs.
The ominous texts by Burroughs are printed in red ink alongside each image in the series and complement the energy of Haring’s drawings. The Valley Page 5 has the frenzy of an artist trying to process life and death amidst the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York that infiltrated the LGBT community. Haring’s later works such as The Valley Page 5 have been compared within art historical narratives to the chaotic storytelling of Hieronymus Bosch and the fierce liveliness of his friend and contemporary Jean-Michael Basquiat.
Depicted exclusively in black and white, this print shows a man whose flesh is rotting away, reflecting the Burroughs text that describes a strain of corn that causes the gums, teeth and skin to decay. This gruesome text, alongside Haring’s carefully rendered image are in stark contrast to his earlier drawings of bright, dancing figures, however The Valley series remains a powerful work in the artist’s oeuvre.
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
