Stones 

The complete set of five lithographs 
Medium: Lithographs on BFK Rives wove paper
Year: 1989
Sheet: 31 1/2 x 23 1/4 inches (80×59 cm)
Edition: 60
Artist’s Proofs: 10 AP
Publisher: Editions Nicole Fauché, Paris
Literature: Littmann pp. 126-127

Contained within a grey cloth-covered portfolio, with the title and artist’s name in gold and red embossed letters to the front
Each signed, dated and numbered in red crayon

 

Notable for their labyrinthine drawings, the prints from the Stones series are striking examples of the Pop artist’s ability to create complex images while maintaining the simplicity of line.

Characteristic of Haring’s oeuvre, these works maintain a simple line within a complex design informed by eastern and western art history. From the Ecce Homo tradition in Renaissance painting and the labyrinth of Greek mythology to the Nazca lines of South America and the bold designs of Aboriginal art, Haring borrowed from a number of sources to come up with his own unique style. With this marriage of influences, the Stones series can be seen as the epitome of Haring’s hybrid style. The white on black lines recall his early subway drawings that originally made his name in New York.

Throughout his career he worked extensively with print as a medium. Beginning with lithography he then turned to screen printing to concentrate on the possibilities the technique offered in terms of color and large edition sizes. However later in his life he returned to lithography to make monochrome series such as Stones. To make a lithograph the artist usually draws directly onto a stone or metal plate which is then dampened with water and covered in ink. The resulting image can be printed a number of times. This series, produced in an edition of 60, shows Haring’s complete mastery of the medium, his bold lines strikingly reproduced just as effectively as in his paintings.

 

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Stones, 1989

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Stones 1 (L. p. 126)

Stones 2 (L. p. 127)

Stones 3 (L. p. 127)

Stones 4 (L. p. 127)

Stones Portfolio Cover

 

 

 

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Auction Results

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1. Stone 1 (L.126)

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Bonhams online: 3 February 2025
Estimated: EUR 10,000 – 15,000
EUR 16,640 / USD 17,050

Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 12,500

KEITH HARING
Stones 1, 1989
Lithograph on B.F.K. Rives paper
Signed, numbered 59/60 and dated in red pencil along lower edge

2. Stone 2 (L.127)

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Heritage Auctions: 16 April 2024
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 11,250

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Stone 2), from Stones, 1989
Lithograph on B.F.K. Rives paper
Ed. 59/60
Signed, editioned, and dated in red pencil, lower right

3. Stone 3 (L.127)

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Heritage Auctions: 16 April 2024
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 21,250

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Stone 3), from Stones, 1989
Lithograph on B.F.K. Rives paper
Ed. 59/60
Signed, editioned, and dated in red pencil, lower right

Christie’s New-York: 20 April 2017
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 15,000

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Stones: one plate, 1989
Lithograph, on wove paper
Signed and dated in red pencil, numbered 50/60

4. Stone 4 (L.127)

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Bonhams online: 3 February 2025
Estimated: EUR 10,000 – 15,000
EUR 16,640 / USD 17,050

Heritage Auctions: 16 April 2024
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 16,250

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Stone 4), from Stones, 1989
Lithograph on B.F.K. Rives paper
Ed. 59/60
Signed, editioned, and dated in red pencil, lower right

5. Stone 5 (L.127)

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Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 30,000

KEITH HARING
Stones 5, 1989
Lithograph on B.F.K. Rives paper
Signed, numbered 59/60 and dated in red pencil along lower edge

6. Complete Sets

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Christie’s London: 28 September 2022
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 56,700

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Stones, 1989
Four lithographs from the set of five, on BFK Rives wove paper
Each signed and dated in red crayon, numbered 45/60

Phillips London: 12 December 2013
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 30,000