Gift of the artist

New York, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Keith Haring, October - November 1982

This work is in good condition overall. There is evidence of wear and handling to the aluminum, resulting in some scattered abrasions, with some associated paint loss, and an unevenness in the surface of the metal. There are scattered unobtrusive pinpoint accretions. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Haring’s beginnings as an artist, graffitting the streets of New York, gave way to the iconography for which he became famous and for which his work is continuously instantly recognizable. Following the population of his radiant baby and barking dog motifs across the streets of New York, Haring began to develop ever more complex and powerful compositions. The resulting works are saturated, virtually bursting with imagery and painted or drawn in his iconic hard-edged line.

By the fall of 1981, as his work came to be shown more frequently in galleries and museums, Haring sought to ultimately bring the street into the gallery, selecting alternative surfaces reflective of the urban environment on which to paint. “I had an aversion to canvas. I always felt I would be impeded by canvas, because canvas seemed to have a certain value before you even touched it.” (John Gruen, Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography, New York, 1991, p. 85) In 1982, Haring made his Soho gallery debut with an immensely popular and highly acclaimed one-man exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery. “This show was Haring epic, Part One, with all scenes, fragments, motifs and media assembled, structured graphically and architectonically.” (Edit de Ak and Lisa Liebmann, “Keith Haring: Tony Shafrazi Gallery,” Artforum, January 1983) The present work, Untitled, was one of the three tondo paintings in baked enamel on metal created for this show. The graphic black and red lines outline a ring of interlocking figures, Haring's foremost icon. The composition teems with iconography so densely incorporated that it teeters on the abstract and yet the familiarity of the character is so great it grounds the inherent figuration and iconography. The Artforum review of Haring’s debut show at Tony Shafrazi declared that, “The character of habitual strength, speed and readability in Haring’s work has already been an important contribution to contemporary graphics and the art of drawing.” (Ibid) Thirty years later, this statement is even more relevant as Haring remains one of the most iconic artistic figures of the late twentieth-century.