Keith Haring Follow Untitled (with Kermit Oswald) incised with the artist's signature and date "K. Haring Nov. 83 ⊕" on the reverse; further signed and dated "© 1983 KERMIT OSWALD KEITH HARING" on the reverse enamel on wood 42 x 35 x 2 3/8 in. (106.7 x 88.9 x 6 cm.) Executed in 1983, this work is unique.
Provenance Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1983 Exhibited New York, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Keith Haring Into 1984... , December 3, 1983 - January 7, 1984 Catalogue Essay Executed in 1983, the present lot belongs to the most pivotal time in Keith Haring’s prolific, yet tragically short, practice. Haring created Untitled as a part of a new body of work for his now infamous solo show at Tony Shafrazi’s Lower East Side gallery, titled Keith Haring Into 1984 . Curated by the artist himself, the presentation featured a series of wall reliefs shaped in Haring’s iconic, cartoon-like figures, carved and painted with Day-Glo into raw wood. Accompanied by large-scale photographs of Bill T. Jones taken by Teseng Kowong Chi, the wall-bound works were installed on a mural of red, abstract, gestural strokes painted by Haring himself, which covered the gallery’s perimeter walls. The exhibition drew crowds of visitors including the most famous members of Haring’s downtown inner-circle, such as Andy Warhol René Ricard and more. As Haring recalled, “the opening is a wild success, thousands of people show up, and the Houston street annex becomes a disco space for an entire month.” The show kicked off the most successful year in Haring’s career, which he himself called “one of my most active, craziest years!” (Keith Haring quoted in John Gruen Keith Haring The Authorized Biography , New York, 1991, pp. 111-112) Following the success of the exhibition, Haring received immediate international acclaim, being invited to Australia by both the National Gallery of Victoria and Gallery of New South Wales for major, site-specific murals. These projects would spearhead an onslaught of commissions and steady, increasing fame for Haring in the art world at large. Made in collaboration with Haring’s close friend Kermit Oswald from his hometown of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, the present lot belongs to a series of unique, carved reliefs. Oswald provided the raw pieces of wood directly from his frame shop in Brooklyn, which Haring cut into wall-bound shapes. Haring then used a carpenter’s router tool like a pencil to draw his characteristic graphics, including dogs, dancing stick figures, crowns and radios into the wood. Through active line-work, Haring fills the contours of the man with outstretched arms and legs in the present lot with his unique visual language—long-bodied dogs bearing their teeth lunge at Haring’s iconic figures, while caterpillar bodies are shown with computers for heads. These incised wall works represent preoccupations Haring had throughout his career with the increasing influence of technology over humans, as well as his interest in Egyptian hieroglyphics exploring life and death. Probing themes that perhaps feel even more relevant now than ever, the symbolism behind his graphics is currently the subject of a major retrospective of Haring’s works in honor of the 30th anniversary of the artist’s death this year, held at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, where most of the exhibited works are from 1983, featuring similar iconography. Carved into wood in relief and then filled with fluorescent Day-Glo paint, the present lot visually reverberates throughout the space from the wall on which it hangs, through the mediums of color and line. The energetic force of the work remains, even after it came off the walls of Shafrazi’s gallery in 1984, where it was surrounded by music blasting from a DJ booth and break dancers on the black and white checkered floor. Untitled from 1983 is a celebration of not only the artist’s unique visual language, but it is also a testament to Haring’s lasting influence on the contemporary art scene of the 1980s and beyond. Read More Artist Bio Keith Haring American • 1958 - 1990 Follow 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
Keith Haring Follow Untitled (with Kermit Oswald) incised with the artist's signature and date "K. Haring Nov. 83 ⊕" on the reverse; further signed and dated "© 1983 KERMIT OSWALD KEITH HARING" on the reverse enamel on wood 42 x 35 x 2 3/8 in. (106.7 x 88.9 x 6 cm.) Executed in 1983, this work is unique.
Provenance Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1983 Exhibited New York, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Keith Haring Into 1984... , December 3, 1983 - January 7, 1984 Catalogue Essay Executed in 1983, the present lot belongs to the most pivotal time in Keith Haring’s prolific, yet tragically short, practice. Haring created Untitled as a part of a new body of work for his now infamous solo show at Tony Shafrazi’s Lower East Side gallery, titled Keith Haring Into 1984 . Curated by the artist himself, the presentation featured a series of wall reliefs shaped in Haring’s iconic, cartoon-like figures, carved and painted with Day-Glo into raw wood. Accompanied by large-scale photographs of Bill T. Jones taken by Teseng Kowong Chi, the wall-bound works were installed on a mural of red, abstract, gestural strokes painted by Haring himself, which covered the gallery’s perimeter walls. The exhibition drew crowds of visitors including the most famous members of Haring’s downtown inner-circle, such as Andy Warhol René Ricard and more. As Haring recalled, “the opening is a wild success, thousands of people show up, and the Houston street annex becomes a disco space for an entire month.” The show kicked off the most successful year in Haring’s career, which he himself called “one of my most active, craziest years!” (Keith Haring quoted in John Gruen Keith Haring The Authorized Biography , New York, 1991, pp. 111-112) Following the success of the exhibition, Haring received immediate international acclaim, being invited to Australia by both the National Gallery of Victoria and Gallery of New South Wales for major, site-specific murals. These projects would spearhead an onslaught of commissions and steady, increasing fame for Haring in the art world at large. Made in collaboration with Haring’s close friend Kermit Oswald from his hometown of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, the present lot belongs to a series of unique, carved reliefs. Oswald provided the raw pieces of wood directly from his frame shop in Brooklyn, which Haring cut into wall-bound shapes. Haring then used a carpenter’s router tool like a pencil to draw his characteristic graphics, including dogs, dancing stick figures, crowns and radios into the wood. Through active line-work, Haring fills the contours of the man with outstretched arms and legs in the present lot with his unique visual language—long-bodied dogs bearing their teeth lunge at Haring’s iconic figures, while caterpillar bodies are shown with computers for heads. These incised wall works represent preoccupations Haring had throughout his career with the increasing influence of technology over humans, as well as his interest in Egyptian hieroglyphics exploring life and death. Probing themes that perhaps feel even more relevant now than ever, the symbolism behind his graphics is currently the subject of a major retrospective of Haring’s works in honor of the 30th anniversary of the artist’s death this year, held at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, where most of the exhibited works are from 1983, featuring similar iconography. Carved into wood in relief and then filled with fluorescent Day-Glo paint, the present lot visually reverberates throughout the space from the wall on which it hangs, through the mediums of color and line. The energetic force of the work remains, even after it came off the walls of Shafrazi’s gallery in 1984, where it was surrounded by music blasting from a DJ booth and break dancers on the black and white checkered floor. Untitled from 1983 is a celebration of not only the artist’s unique visual language, but it is also a testament to Haring’s lasting influence on the contemporary art scene of the 1980s and beyond. Read More Artist Bio Keith Haring American • 1958 - 1990 Follow 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
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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