Beschreibung:

Keith Haring Untitled (Boxers) 1987-1988 Polyurethane enamel on steel with an oval base. 47 x 36 1/2 x 32 in. (119.4 x 92.7 x 81.3 cm.) This work is from an edition of three plus one artist’s proof. This work is the artist’s proof and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Estate of Keith Haring
Provenance Galerie Hans Mayer, Germany; Private collection, Dusseldorf; Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki; Galerie Terminus, Munich; Art Estate GmbH & Co, Hamburg; Private collection, Geneva Exhibited Dusseldorf, Galerie Hans Mayer, Keith Haring Bilder und Skulpturen, August 27 – October 31, 1988; Geneva, Mitterrand + Cramer, NAME DROPPING, September 18 – November 8, 2008 Catalogue Essay Keith Haring’s rendering of the human figure as comprised of flat, simple and emboldened lines and monochromatic color focuses our attention on the emotion and energy of what activity they are engaged in. Within his lexicon of iconic images and characters, Haring has removed all markers of identity, gender, race, creed, or religion- the resultant being raw, uncomplicated image and action. His characters are transformed with his bold language of line. The current lot depicts two boxers engaged in the “sweet science”. The unabashedly playful nature of the work is belied by bright coloring of the opponents. The figures appear locked in play fighting, or the embrace of a dance of celebration more so than in the grip of primal combat. “The spritely air of the sculptures, however, can be deceiving: they address formal issues of increasing complexity, and some – including Boxers… — allude to themes of aggression, pain and endangered balance that are not the conventional furniture of neighbourhood playgrounds. But the very word, “celebration” which the artist so frequently employed does not merely imply a carefree festival is also, as in the Eucharistic rites, can point to a solemn and reflective occasion. That implicit duality, present in Haring’s work from the very start, is one reason we look again at even his simplest ideograms, why they continue to strike a seemingly universal chord” (D. Galloway, “Bright, Shiny Toys…The Sculptural Legacy of Keith Haring ” Keith Haring Milan, 2005, pp 26-27). Read More Artist Bio Keith Haring American • 1958 - 1990 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. View More Works