Absolutely. Keith Haring’s Icons (1990) portfolio stands as a poignant and definitive summation of his iconic visual language, created in the final year of his life. The Icons series prints are rendered in flat, saturated colors as a nod to the rise of commercialism and mass production in Haring’s lifetime. Heavily influenced by Andy Warhol and the wider Pop Art movement of the 1960s, his work bridges the gap between high art and mass consumerism so as to dissolve boundaries between fine art, political activism and popular culture.

 

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Introduction

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The Icons portfolio is a set of five embossed screenprints in vibrant colors, published by Tony Shafrazi Editions in New York. The portfolio was completed in 1990, the same year Keith Haring tragically passed away from AIDS-related complications. This timing imbues the series with an elegiac quality, representing the final, refined iteration of the universal symbols Haring had developed since his early subway chalk drawings in the 1980s. The technical execution, using screenprinting with embossing, gives the thick black outlines a raised, glossy texture, making the figures pop with the graphic punch of commercial signage while elevating them to the realm of fine art. The edition size for the main portfolio is 250, plus various proofs.

The series distills Haring’s complex worldview into a simplified, accessible visual grammar. Each print serves as an archetype, carrying dense cultural, spiritual, and social weight. As one of his last complete projects, Icons functions as a visual lexicon of his entire career, embodying themes he fiercely advocated for: life, death, innocence, power, and transcendence. Haring’s core belief was that art should be for everyone. By reproducing these instantly recognizable figures—which originated on subway walls and in his Pop Shop merchandise—he deliberately blurred the lines between high art, street art, and commercial culture, ensuring his message reached the broadest possible audience.

The figures blend traditional Christian iconography (angels, devils, radiant babies) with contemporary socio-political commentary. Created at the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, works in the series reflect the artist’s intense focus on mortality, spiritual seeking, and the fight against societal oppression and religious judgment. The series explores the paradox of life: its capacity for both profound joy and unimaginable suffering.

 

 

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Icons, 1990

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Icons

The complete portfolio, comprising five screenprints in colors with embossing
Medium: Screenprint in colors with embossing on Arches Cover paper
Year: 1990
Sheet: 21×25 inches (53.5 x 63.5 cm)
Edition: 250
Artist’s Proofs: 25 AP
Hors Commerce: 25 HC
Printer’s Proofs: 8 PP
White Icons (embossing): 60 + 10 AP
Printer: Studio Heinrici, Ltd.
Publisher: Tony Shafrazi Editions Inc., New-York
Literature: Littmann pp. 170-171
White Icons: Littmann pp. 172-173

Each signed and numbered in pencil on verso by Julia Gruen (the executor of the Keith Haring Estate), with the estate stamped certificate of authenticity, and the publisher’s blindstamp

White Icons

 

 

1. Radiant Baby (Littmann p.170)

2. Winged Angel (Littmann p. 171)

3. Barking Dog (Littmann p. 171)

4. Flying Devil (Littmann p. 171)

5. Three-Eyed Monster (Littmann p. 171)

 

 

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Auction Market Overview

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2025 Auction Highlights

Radiant Baby, 1990

Tate Ward: 18 September 2025
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 25,000 / USD 34,000

KEITH HARING (American 1958-1990)
Radiant Baby from Icons, 1990
Silkscreen with embossing on Arches cover paper
Signed, dated and numbered from an edition of 250 in pencil verso
By Julia Green, the Executor of the Keith Haring Estate
Bearing the Artists Estate rubber-stamp in black ink verso

2024 Auction Highlights

9 prints from Icons sold at auction in 2024. Radiant Baby sold at SBI Art Auction in Tokyo, on 25 May 2024, for JPY 5,520,000 (USD 35,170), setting a new auction record for this print, it is also the highest price paid at auction in 2024

2023 Auction Highlights

Radiant Baby, 1990

Rago: 1 June 2023
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 27,720

Heritage Auctions: 26 October 2022
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 27,500
AUCTION RECORD FOR BARKING DOG

KEITH HARING
Untitled, from Icons, 1990
Silkscreen in colors on Arches paper
Titled and dated in ink, numbered ‘122/250’ by Julia Green, the executor of the Keith Haring Estate
in the stamped certificate of authenticity

 

 

2025 Auction Results

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KEITH HARING
Barking Dog (from the White Icons series), 1990
Embossed engraving on Arches
Numbered “51/60” on the reverse
Edition of 60 + 10 AP + 10 HC + 10 PP
Estate Stamp on the reverse

Heritage Auctions: 16 October 2025
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 24,375

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Radiant Baby (Littmann p. 170), 1990
From Icons
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Ed. 97/250 (aside from 25 artist’s proofs, 25 hors commerce, and 8 printer’s proofs)
Signed by Julia Gruen, executor of the Keith Haring Estate, and editioned in pencil verso lower right
Published by Tony Shafrazi Editions, New York
With their blindstamp lower left

Radiant Baby, 1990

Tate Ward: 18 September 2025
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 25,000 / USD 34,000

KEITH HARING (American 1958-1990)
Radiant Baby from Icons, 1990
Silkscreen with embossing on Arches cover paper
Signed, dated and numbered from an edition of 250 in pencil verso
By Julia Green, the Executor of the Keith Haring Estate
Bearing the Artists Estate rubber-stamp in black ink verso

Barking Dog (White Icons), 1990

New Auction Tokyo: 28 June 2025
Estimated: JPY 800,000 – 1,000,000
JPY 1,000,500 / USD 6,920

Keith HARING (1958 – 1990)
White Icons (Barking dog), 1990
from the portfolio of five embossings (Littmann p.172)
Embossing
PP 4 aside from ED.60
With an authentication stamp
Signed by Julia Gruen, the executor for the Keith Haring Estate, and numbered on the verso

Icons, 1990

Keith & Tony: Works from the Tony Shafrazi Collection
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 May 2025
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 165,100
COMPLETE SET
AUCTION RECORD FOR A SET OF ICONS

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Icons (Littmann pp. 170-171), 1990
The complete set of 5 screenprints in colors with embossing on Arches Cover wove paper
Each sheet: 21×25 inches (53.5 x 63.5 cm)
Signed by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring Estate
Dated 6/29/90 and numbered 55/250
(on the stamped certificate of authenticity on the verso of each)
This set is number 55 from the edition of 250 plus 25 artist proof sets
With the blindstamp of the publisher, Tony Shafrazi Editions

White Icons, 1990

Keith & Tony: Works from the Tony Shafrazi Collection
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 May 2025
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 38,100
COMPLETE SET

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
White Icons (Littmann pp. 172-173), 1990
The complete set of 5 embossings on Arches wove paper
Accompanied by the title page and original portfolio case
Each sheet: 21×25 inches (53.5 x 63.5 cm)
Signed by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring
Estate, dated 6/28/90 and numbered 19/60
(on the stamped certificate of authenticity on the verso of each)
This set is number 19 from the edition of 60 plus 10 artist proof sets
With the blindstamp of the publisher, Tony Shafrazi Editions

Icons, 1990

Christie’s online: 27 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 60,000 – 80,000
GBP 94,500 / USD 121,905
COMPLETE SET

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Icons (Littmann pp. 170-71), 1990
The complete set comprising five screenprints in colors with embossing on Arches Cover paper
Each with the stamped certificate of authenticity signed by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring Estate
Numbered 111/250 in pencil verso (there were also 25 artist’s proofs)

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2024 Auction Results

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9 prints from Icons sold at auction in 2024.

Radiant Baby sold at SBI Art Auction in Tokyo, on 25 May 2024, for JPY 5,520,000 (USD 35,170), setting a new auction record for this print, it is also the highest price paid at auction in 2024

Barking Dog is the most sold print from the series in 2024 as it sold 3 times at auction in 2024 at an average price of USD 22,347. It sold at Hindman in Chicago, on 26 September 2024, for USD 25,400, its highest price for 2024.

#2. Radiant Baby, 1990

Rago: 1 June 2023
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 27,720

#4. Three-Eyed Monster, 1990

Sotheby’s London: 15 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 7,000 – 10,000
GBP 13,970 /USD 16,809

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, from Icons (Littmann p. 170), 1990
Screen-print in colors with embossing
With the stamped certificate of authenticity signed by Julia Gruen
The executor of the Keith Haring Estate verso
Numbered in pencil 152/250 (total edition includes 25 artist’s proofs)

#5. Winged Angel, 1990

Leo Spik Berlin: 9 December 2023
Estimated: EUR 4,400
EUR 12,000 (Hammer)
EUR 15,000 / USD 16,185

KEITH HARING
Angel from Icons, 1990
Embossed color screenprint on Arches cover laid paper
Signed, dated and numbered 242/250

#6. Barking Dog, 1990

Leo Spik Berlin: 9 December 2023
Estimated: EUR 4,400
EUR 11,000 (Hammer)
EUR 13,750 / USD 14,840

KEITH HARING
Barking Dog from Icons, 1990
Embossed color screenprint on Arches cover laid paper
Signed, dated and numbered 245/250

 

 

 

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2022 Auction Results

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Heritage Auctions: 26 October 2022
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 27,500
AUCTION RECORD FOR BARKING DOG

KEITH HARING
Untitled, from Icons, 1990
Silkscreen in colors on Arches paper
Titled and dated in ink, numbered ‘122/250’ by Julia Green, the executor of the Keith Haring Estate
in the stamped certificate of authenticity

#3. Three-Eyed Monster, 1990

Artnet Auctions: 21 December 2022
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 12,000
USD 18,750

KEITH HARING (American, 1958–1990)
Three Eyed (from Icons), 1990
Screenprint in colors with embossing on Arches Cover paper
Edition 104/250
Stamped with the artist’s estate stamp on the reverse
Signed, dated and numbered by the executor, Julia Gruen, in pencil on the reverse

 

WORK IN PROGRESS

#4. Winged Angel, 1990

Forum Auctions: 29 September 2021
Estimated: GBP 14,000 – 16,000
GBP 13,000 (Hammer)
GBP 17,056 / USD 22,705

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Icons. Angel (See Litmann p.171), 1990
Screenprint with embossing on wove paper
With the certificate of authenticity stamped verso
Signed and dated in pencil by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring estate
Numbered from the edition of 60

#7. Three-Eyed Monster, 1990

Bonhams LA: 28 September 2021
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 16,562

#8. Winged Angel, 1990

Heritage Auctions: 21 April 2021
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 16,250

Three-Eyed Monster (White Icons), 1990

Bonhams New-York: 2 November 2021
Estimated: USD 6,000 – 8,000
USD 7,650

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Radiant Baby

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Radiant Baby is one of Keith Haring’s most recognizable prints from the Icons series (1990). It shows a bright orange cartoon child, crawling on its hands and knees, with a sky-blue backdrop. Rendered in his characteristic pop-graffiti style, the figure is boldly outlined in black with thick, radiating lines pulsating from its body. The symbol first emerged in Haring’s work during his days as a subway artist in New York, where he used the Radiant Baby in place of his signature, known as his ‘tag’, on public art projects.

Rooted in his encounter with the Jesus Movement of the 1970s, Haring reworks the group’s Christian iconography to critique organized religion and the government amidst the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York. In this print, rays emanate from the child’s body, imitating a well-known convention in religious art to emphasize the baby as a holy figure like Jesus Christ. As with other prints in the series, like Angel and Flying Devil), Haring depicts religious iconography in the visual vocabulary of a cartoon, thus producing a cynical and ambiguous image. Radiant Baby is a noteworthy example of how Haring created optimistic icons for his generation, to be displayed in public spaces during a time of technological acceleration, rampant capitalism and political turmoil. Haring described the Radiant Baby as “the purest and most positive experience of human existence” and used the figure as a symbol of hope for the future.

Auction Results

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Abell: 5 December 2021
Estimated: USD 6,000 – 8,000
USD 26,000

KEITH HARING
Icons #1, 1990
Silkscreen on Arches
Embossed lower left, PP 2/8, aside from edition of 250

 

 

Winged Angel

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Angel features a yellow-winged figure with its arms and legs spread outwards. Emphasized by Haring’s trademark bold lines, the figure is shown to be vibrating, as though dancing. Angel is demonstrative of the way Haring shapes religious source material to reflect contemporary concerns of his generation. Keith Haring reuses particular symbols, all present in the Icons series, to produce a memorable pictorial language. The angel is an image used repeatedly by Haring, in works such as Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1984) and Anti-Nuclear Rally (1982), to speak to the ambiguities and socio-political injustices of the time. Angel overflows with paradoxical themes like life and death, good and evil, religion and sexuality, heaven and hell.

In direct contrast to Flying Devil,  Angel offers a quieter, more contemplative presence. It features a simplified human figure with large, sweeping wings, often outlined in black and filled with a luminous yellow, standing or hovering gently. The figure is surrounded by Haring’s signature wavy, radiant lines, suggesting spiritual light and movement. Angel embodies hope, protection, and transcendence. It acts as a humanist symbol of care and spiritual guidance, offering a redemptive balance to the portfolio’s darker themes, particularly resonant in the context of loss and devastation caused by the AIDS epidemic.

Forum Auctions: 29 September 2021
Estimated: GBP 14,000 – 16,000
GBP 13,000 (Hammer)
GBP 17,056 / USD 22,705

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Icons. Angel (See Litmann p.171), 1990
Screenprint with embossing on wove paper
With the certificate of authenticity stamped verso
Signed and dated in pencil by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring estate
Numbered from the edition of 60

Heritage Auctions: 21 April 2021
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 16,250

 

 

 

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Barking Dog

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One of the most widely recognized symbols amply used by Keith Haring, Barking Dog features a simplified image of a dog barking. Rendered in white with thick, squared-off black outlines, the image of the dog is set against a vivid red backdrop and conveys a sense of urgency to the viewer.

What later became recognized as a dog first began as an unidentifiable creature in his subway drawings from the early 1980s. Often depicted standing on two feet, Haring’s dog symbol is understood to be an imaginary representation of authoritarian government and people who hold power, with the image sometimes looking like a human being with a dog’s head. Barking Dog is one of Haring’s trademark graphic symbols that bursts with vibrant color and dynamism to form a positive visual language widely recognized by the public. Barking Dog sparks a sense of urgency in its use of bright red and sharp, angular lines and thus cautions the public of oppressive government and those in power.

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Flying Devil

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This print depicts a red-winged figure with horns and a tail, often referred to as the Flying Devil or a “Flying Red Man.” Crucially, this demonic figure frequently has a cross or an ‘X’ symbol marked on its chest or abdomen. Rendered with dynamic, active lines to suggest flight and movement, the figure is set against a contrasting background, such as bright yellow. The image is provocative, blending the concepts of good and evil within a single figure. It represents temptation, chaos, and the darker side of human nature.

Flying Devil  also reworks redemptive imagery to critique the Christian religious fundamentalism and Jesus Movement of the 1970s. Soaring upwards to the heavens from the fires of hell, the devil figure in this print cultivates a sense of the profane to the viewer. Seeking a direct means of expression by using signs in place of words, Haring playfully communicates complex political and anti-religious messages through a positive visual language.

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Three-Eyed Monster

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Three Eyed Monster features another one of the artist’s widely known motifs. It shows a green, square smiling face with three bright eyes looking avidly to the right, set against a saturated orange background. Haring’s choice of color and subject gives this print a garish and jarring quality that emphasizes both the playful and grotesque in his work.

Used as a symbol for greed by Haring, Three-Eyed Monster uses light-hearted imagery and a cartoonish visual language to critique the proliferation of capitalism in 1980s New York. Haring used his art to oppose the negative effects of capitalism and mass consumerism. Three Eyed Monster is uncompromising in its positive, comic tone. However, upon closer examination Haring’s subject carries menacing connotations about greed and hellishness. Adopting a system of expression inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphics, Haring’s syntax of signs creates a universal language and a true public art charged with moral weight.

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Sotheby’s London: 15 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 7,000 – 10,000
GBP 13,970 /USD 16,809

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, from Icons (Littmann p. 170), 1990
Screen-print in colors with embossing
With the stamped certificate of authenticity signed by Julia Gruen
The executor of the Keith Haring Estate verso
Numbered in pencil 152/250 (total edition includes 25 artist’s proofs)

Artnet Auctions: 21 December 2022
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 12,000
USD 18,750

KEITH HARING (American, 1958–1990)
Three Eyed (from Icons), 1990
Screenprint in colors with embossing on Arches Cover paper
Edition 104/250
Stamped with the artist’s estate stamp on the reverse
Signed, dated and numbered by the executor, Julia Gruen, in pencil on the reverse

Bonhams New-York: 2 November 2021
Estimated: USD 6,000 – 8,000
USD 7,650

Bonhams LA: 28 September 2021
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 16,562

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Complete Sets

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KEITH HARING
Icons (Littmann p. 170/171), 1990
5 color screenprints on card
Each stamped “CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY” verso
With handwritten authorization and numbering from the estate administrator, Julia Gruen
Proof 20/250 (+25 A.P. +25 H.C. +8 P.P.)
Edition Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York (embossing stamp)
CONDITION NOTE: Minor traces of age

Keith & Tony: Works from the Tony Shafrazi Collection
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 May 2025
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 165,100
COMPLETE SET
AUCTION RECORD FOR A SET OF ICONS

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Icons (Littmann pp. 170-171), 1990
The complete set of 5 screenprints in colors with embossing on Arches Cover wove paper
Each sheet: 21×25 inches (53.5 x 63.5 cm)
Signed by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring Estate
Dated 6/29/90 and numbered 55/250
(on the stamped certificate of authenticity on the verso of each)
This set is number 55 from the edition of 250 plus 25 artist proof sets
With the blindstamp of the publisher, Tony Shafrazi Editions

Keith & Tony: Works from the Tony Shafrazi Collection
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 May 2025
Estimated: USD 30,000 – 50,000
USD 38,100
COMPLETE SET

KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
White Icons (Littmann pp. 172-173), 1990
The complete set of 5 embossings on Arches wove paper
Accompanied by the title page and original portfolio case
Each sheet: 21×25 inches (53.5 x 63.5 cm)
Signed by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring
Estate, dated 6/28/90 and numbered 19/60
(on the stamped certificate of authenticity on the verso of each)
This set is number 19 from the edition of 60 plus 10 artist proof sets
With the blindstamp of the publisher, Tony Shafrazi Editions

Christie’s online: 27 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 60,000 – 80,000
GBP 94,500 / USD 121,905
COMPLETE SET

KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Icons (Littmann pp. 170-71), 1990
The complete set comprising five screenprints in colors with embossing on Arches Cover paper
Each with the stamped certificate of authenticity signed by Julia Gruen, the executor of the Keith Haring Estate
Numbered 111/250 in pencil verso (there were also 25 artist’s proofs)

Heritage Auctions: 24 October 2023
Estimated: USD 50,000 – 70,000
USD 87,500
COMPLETE SET

KEITH HARING
Icons, 1990
Portfolio of 5 screen-prints with embossing on wove paper
Each signed by Julia Gruen, executor of the Keith Haring Estate
And editioned 79/250 in pencil, verso lower right

Sotheby’s London: 16 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 107,100 / USD 140,275
COMPLETE SET

Icons (Littmann pp. 170-71), 1990
The complete portfolio of five screen-prints in colors
Each with the stamped certificate of authenticity signed by Julia Gruen
(The executor of the Keith Haring Estate)
Each numbered in pencil verso 16/250