“It wasn’t until later that it started to be a lot of people. Since then, the list, it’s incredible, amazing, a long list of people. You toughen yourself up. You prepare yourself in this crazy way for it. I don’t know how many times I could watch it as close as I did with some people, being there in the last moments, but it has taught me so many things and shown me so many more things about love and about people…

KEITH HARING INSIDE IN FRONT OF THE MURAL EXECUTED AT THE LGBTQ CENTER, NEW YORK CITY IN 1989. PHOTO: TSENG KWONG CHI. © MUNA TSENG DANCE PROJECTS, INC.

I think one of the hardest things AIDS has done is to kids growing up now, trying to figure out their sexuality in an unbiased way. They always will have their sexuality shoved down their throats, but they’ll make their own way because it’s such a strong thing – it will override everything, no matter how much brainwashing’s going on. So imagine how horrible it must be to some young kid who knows he’s gay or someone thinking of experimenting. They could have a sentence of death. It’s horribly frightening. It gives so much fuel to the people who are telling you that it’s wrong to be who you are. There are so few people who are good openly gay role models or just good people who are respected who are open about their sexuality. Now there has to be openness about all these issues…

In a way, it’s almost a privilege. To know. When I was a little kid, I always felt that I was going to die young, in my twenties or something. So in a way, I always lived my life as if I expected it. I did everything I wanted to do. I’m still doing whatever I want… If you’re writing a story, you can sort of ramble on and go in a lot of directions at once, but when you are getting to the end of the story, you have to start pointing all the things toward one thing. That’s the point that I’m at now, not knowing where it stops but knowing how important it is to do it now. The whole thing is getting much more articulate. In a way it’s really liberating.”

Keith Haring in “Just Say Know”, Rolling Stone, 10 August 1989

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1. Screen-print on plywood

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Art Attack on AIDS

Medium: Screen-print on oak Veneer plywood
Year: 1988
Overall: 29 7/8 x 29 7/8 x 2 inches (75.9 x 75.9 x 5.1 cm)
Edition: 20
Artist’s Proofs: 10
Not in Littmann

Signed, and numbered in black ink

 

 

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Auction Results

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Sotheby’s New-York: 22 October 2024
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 48,000

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Art Attack on Aids (not in Littmann), 1988
Screenprint on oak veneer plywood
Overall: 30x30x2 inches (76x76x52 cm)
Signed in felt-tip pen, dated and inscribed AP 10/10 and For Anthony
One of ten artist’s proofs aside from the numbered edition of 20

Christie’s New-York: 21 October 2021
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 87,500

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Art Attack on AIDS, 1988
Screen-print on oak Veneer plywood
Signed and dated in black ink, numbered 4/20

Phillips London: 20 January 2021
Estimated: GBP 18,000 – 22,000
GBP 44,100

Dear Keith: Works from the Personal Collection of Keith Haring
Sotheby’s New-York: 1 October 2020
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 81,900

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
ART ATTACK ON AIDS, 1988
Acrylic silkscreen on oak Veneer plywood
This work is artist’s proof 1 from an edition of 20, plus 10 artist’s proofs

 

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2. Lithograph

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Art Attack on AIDS

Medium: Offset lithograph in colors
Year: 1988
Sheet: 32 1/2 x 29 3/4 inches (83×76 cm)
Edition: 100
Publisher: Wellness Networks, In., Troy, MI
Not in Littmann

Signed, dated and numbered to lower edge

 

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Auction Results

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Rago Auctions: 15 June 2021
Estimated: USD 1,500 – 2,000
USD 2,250

KEITH HARING
Art Attack on Aids, 1988
Offset lithograph in colors
Signed, dated and numbered to lower edge ’20/200 K. Haring 88′