Keith Haring was, above all, a draftsman. While his murals, paintings, and editioned prints have become iconic images of the 1980s, drawing remained the foundation of his entire artistic practice. His original works on paper reveal the essential mechanics of his visual language: rapid execution, powerful contour lines, and a vocabulary of instantly recognizable symbols that communicate complex ideas with remarkable clarity.
For Haring, paper was not merely a preparatory medium. It was a primary space for invention. The immediacy of drawing allowed him to work with speed and spontaneity, capturing ideas in their most direct form. Many of his most recognizable images—the radiant baby, barking dogs, dancing figures, serpents, angels, televisions, and hybrid creatures—first appeared in drawings before expanding into murals, paintings, sculptures, and prints.
These works provide an intimate insight into the artist’s process. The fluid lines and rhythmic repetition of forms demonstrate a remarkable confidence of hand, revealing how Haring developed a pictographic language capable of addressing social, political, and spiritual themes while remaining accessible to a broad public.
Introduction
Haring’s works on paper encompass a wide variety of materials, each chosen for its ability to produce clarity and immediacy. Among the most common media are black ink, marker, acrylic, gouache, graphite, chalk, and sumi ink on paper.
The artist typically worked with bold, continuous contour lines executed in a single gesture. This technique created images that feel both spontaneous and highly controlled. Motion lines, repeating shapes, and densely interlocking figures give the drawings a distinctive sense of movement and energy.
Some works remain strictly monochromatic, emphasizing the graphic power of the line, while others incorporate vibrant color through acrylic or gouache. In these colored works, Haring often filled entire shapes with flat areas of saturated pigment, reinforcing the visual impact and readability of the composition.
Paper offered Haring a surface that could accommodate rapid experimentation. Unlike large paintings, drawings could be produced quickly and frequently, enabling him to explore variations of imagery that later became central to his visual vocabulary.
The Subway Drawings
Among the most celebrated bodies of work on paper are Haring’s Subway Drawings, created between 1980 and 1985. These drawings were executed in white chalk on black paper panels that covered unused advertising spaces throughout the New York subway system. Working quickly to avoid police intervention, Haring produced hundreds of these ephemeral drawings directly in public view. Commuters often stopped to watch him at work, transforming the act of drawing into a spontaneous performance.
The subway provided Haring with the ideal environment for his artistic philosophy. He believed that art should be accessible to everyone rather than confined to galleries and museums. By using public transit spaces as his canvas, he brought art directly into everyday urban life. The imagery in these drawings often reflected the anxieties and energies of the period: technological change, nuclear threat, consumer culture, sexuality, and the dynamics of power. Despite their simplicity, the images carried a strong symbolic charge, inviting viewers to interpret them according to their own experiences. Today, the Subway Drawings are considered some of the most important works of Haring’s career, representing the moment when his distinctive language first reached a broad public audience.
Studio Drawings and Mature Iconography
Beyond the subway works, Haring produced a vast number of studio drawings on paper throughout the 1980s. These works often feature the mature iconography that defines his artistic identity: barking dogs, radiant babies, dancing figures, hearts, angels, televisions, and radiant heads.
Executed primarily in marker or ink, these drawings reveal the extraordinary precision of Haring’s line. The compositions often feel almost musical, with figures repeating rhythmically across the surface. Even in crowded scenes, the clarity of the line ensures that each element remains visually distinct.
Many of these drawings also served as the original sources for later paintings, murals, and editioned prints. The well-known imagery associated with Haring’s Pop Shop editions, for example, began as unique hand-drawn works on paper before being adapted for wider distribution. In this sense, the drawings function both as autonomous artworks and as the generative foundation of Haring’s larger production.
Themes and Meaning
Although Haring’s imagery appears playful and immediately legible, it frequently addresses profound social and political themes. His visual language draws from popular culture, cartoons, graffiti, and ancient pictographic systems, allowing him to communicate ideas across cultural and linguistic boundaries.
Recurring motifs often carry layered meanings. The radiant baby, for instance, can represent innocence, potential, or spiritual energy. Barking dogs may symbolize authority, warning, or aggression. Dancing figures evoke community, vitality, and the shared rhythms of urban life.
During the 1980s, Haring increasingly used his imagery to address urgent social issues, including nuclear anxiety, apartheid, drug addiction, and the AIDS crisis. Works on paper often capture these concerns with striking immediacy, combining humor, symbolism, and critique within deceptively simple compositions.
Exhibition History and Institutional Recognition
Keith Haring’s works on paper have been widely exhibited in major museums and galleries worldwide. Institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and Tate Liverpool have presented major exhibitions dedicated to his work.
Large retrospective exhibitions have highlighted the importance of drawing within his practice, emphasizing the way paper works reveal the development of his visual language. These exhibitions demonstrate that Haring’s drawings are not merely supporting material but central components of his artistic legacy.
Today, Haring’s works are included in the collections of leading institutions around the world, confirming his position as one of the most influential artists of the late twentieth century. Keith Haring’s works on paper remain among the most vivid expressions of his artistic vision. They embody his belief that art should be immediate, communicative, and accessible to all.
Through these drawings, Haring developed a visual language that transcended the boundaries between street culture, popular imagery, and fine art. The symbols he created continue to resonate decades after his death, influencing generations of artists and remaining instantly recognizable across the world. In their clarity, energy, and humanity, Haring’s works on paper reveal the essence of his artistic achievement: the transformation of simple lines into a universal language of modern life.
Auction Market Overview
Original works on paper occupy an important and highly active segment of the Keith Haring market. While his paintings can command several million dollars at auction, drawings on paper offer collectors direct access to the artist’s hand and creative process.
Among these works, Subway Drawings represent the most sought-after category due to their historical importance and rarity. When examples appear at auction, they often attract strong competition among collectors and institutions.
Studio drawings executed in marker, ink, or gouache on paper also command significant attention, particularly those dating from the early and mid-1980s and featuring Haring’s most recognizable imagery. Works with strong provenance, iconic motifs, and excellent condition are especially prized.
Collectors often view original drawings as one of the most compelling entry points into Haring’s work. They combine historical significance, visual immediacy, and a direct connection to the artist’s hand, capturing the energy that made Haring one of the defining artistic voices of his generation.
Top Lots
2026 Auction Results
Untitled, 1984
Christie’s New-York: 26 February 2026
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 317,500
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1984
Acrylic and Sumi ink on paper
38×50 inches (96.5 x 127 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring APRIL 14 – 1984’ (on the reverse)
Untitled (Study for Swatch Watch), 1985
Sotheby’s London: 23 January 2026
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 60,960 / USD 81,570
Untitled (Study for Swatch Watch) | Contemporary Discoveries | 2026 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Study for Swatch Watch), 1985
Pen, graphite, correction fluid and collage on paper
Drawing: 13-1/8 x 9-1/2 inches (33.5 x 23.4 cm)
Sheet: 20×13 inches (50.7 x 38 cm)
Signed and dated 85 (lower right)
Lots Passed
Untitled (Illustrations for Eight Ball), 1989
Sotheby’s New-York: 25 February 2026
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
PASSED
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled (Illustrations for Eight Ball) | Contemporary Curated | 2026 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Illustrations for Eight Ball), 1989
Gouache, ink and collage on paper, in 22 parts
Each: 12×18 inches (30.5 x 45.7 cm)
Signed and dated (on each verso)
Executed on 4 April 1989
2025 Auction Results
#1. Untitled, 1982
Property from a Private European Collection
Sotheby’s New-York: 18 November 2025
Estimated: USD 800,000 – 1,200,000
USD 1,514,000
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled | The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1982
Ink on paper
71×94 inches (180.3 x 238.8 cm)
#2. Untitled, 1982
Christie’s London: 6 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 378,000 / USD 483,840
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
38 1/4 x 50 inches (97×127 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring MARCH 12 – 82’ (on the reverse)
#3. Untitled, 1982
Sotheby’s New-York: 26 February 2025
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 444,500
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled | Contemporary Curated | 2025 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
38 1/8 x 49 7/8 inches (96.8 x 126.7 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 21 – 1982 (on the verso)
#4. Untitled, 1980
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 304,800 / USD 408,430
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled, 1980
Sumi ink, acrylic and spray paint on paper
61 3/8 x 48 inches (155.8 x 122 cm)
Signed, inscribed, numbered and stamped with the date
‘JUL 18 1980 K. Haring 22ND ST. STUDIO NYC 1of 16’
(on the reverse)
#5. Untitled, 1981
Sotheby’s New-York: 26 February 2025
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 355,600
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled | Contemporary Curated | 2025 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1981
Sumi ink on paper
38 x 49 5/8 inches (96.5 x 126 cm)
Signed and dated Sept. 12 – 1981 (on the verso)
#6. Untitled, 1987
Christie’s New-York: 30 September 2025
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 279,400
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1987
Sumi ink on paper
22 1/8 x 30 inches (56.2 x 76.2 cm)
Signed and dedicated
‘FOR REV. SHULTS – Keith Haring’ (lower right); signed again and dated ‘Sept. 28 1987 K. Haring’
(on the reverse)
#7. Untitled, 1983
Christie’s New-York: 18 July 2025
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 277,200
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1983
Marker on paper
19 1/2 x 27 3/4 inches (49.5 x 70.5 cm.)
Signed, dedicated and dated ‘FOR MARC-HENRI-K Haring ’83’ (right edge)
#8. TV Dog, 1982
Christie’s London: 6 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 214,200 / USD 274,176
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), TV Dog | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
TV Dog, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
23 x 28 7/8 inches (58.3 x 73.4 cm)
Signed and dated ‘APRIL 6 – 1982 K. Haring’ (on the reverse)
#9. Untitled (Snake), 1983
Christie’s New-York: 15 May 2025
Estimated: USD 180,000 – 250,000
USD 252,000
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled (Snake) | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Snake), 1983
Sumi ink on Japanese pearlescent paper
24 1/2 x 26 inches (61.6 x 66 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring JAN. 6- 83’ (lower right)
#10. Untitled, 1983
Christie’s New-York: 15 May 2025
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 214,200
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1983
Sumi ink and acrylic on paper
15 1/2 x 20 3/4 inches (40×53 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated ‘K. Haring Feb. 28 – 83 TOKYO’ (on the reverse)
#11. Untitled, 1988
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 May 2025
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 190,500
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled | Contemporary Day Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1988
Gouache and sumi ink on paper
40 1/2 x 59 1/2 inches (102.9 x 151.1 cm)
Signed and dated Oct 30 1988 (on the verso)
#12. Three Figures with Arms Crossed, 1981
Phillips New-York: 14 May 2025
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 165,100
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale, Morning Session
Ink on paper
#13. Untitled (Boombox), 1984
Christie’s New-York: 30 September 2025
Estimated: USD 70,000 – 100,000
USD 152,400
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled (Boombox) | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Boombox), 1984
Sumi ink on foamcore
48 x 50 7/8 inches (121.9 x 129.2 cm)
#14. UNTITLED, 1983
Hampel Munich: 4 December 2025
Estimated: EUR 30,000 – 50,000
EUR 54,000 (Hammer)
EUR 69,930 / USD 81,535
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring | HAMPEL Fine Art Auctions 4.12.2025
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
UNTITLED, 1983
Sumi ink on Japanese paper
22 x 27 3/8 inches (56 x 69.7 cm)
Signed “K. Haring” lower right
#15. Untitled, 1982
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 78,740
WORK ON PAPER
16 3/8 x 11 3/8 inches (42×29 cm)
Signed and dated to right edge ‘K. Haring 82’
#16. BARKING DOGS, 1983
Hampel Munich: 4 December 2025
Estimated: EUR 20,000 – 40,000
EUR 41,000 (Hammer)
EUR 53,095 / USD 61,905
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring, | HAMPEL Fine Art Auctions 4.12.2025
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
BARKING DOGS, 1983
Sumi ink on Japanese paper
22 x 27 5/16 inches (56 x 69.4 cm)
Signed and dated “K. Haring 83” in the centre right
Inscribed by the artist “K. Haring 83-Galerie Watari-Tokyo-Japan” on the reverse
#17. UNTITLED, 1983
Hampel Munich: 4 December 2025
Estimated: EUR 30,000 – 50,000
EUR 31,000 (Hammer)
EUR 40,145 / USD 46,805
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring, | HAMPEL Fine Art Auctions 4.12.2025
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
UNTITLED, 1983
Sumi ink on Japanese paper
22 x 32 1/8 inches (56 x 81.7 cm)
Signed “K. Haring” lower right
#18. Uni-Cow, 1984
Heritage Auctions: 19 November 2025
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 35,000
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring (1958-1990). Uni-Cow, 1984. Felt-tip pen on paper. | Lot #77050 | Heritage Auctions
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Uni-Cow, 1984
Felt-tip pen on paper
8 3/4 x 12 3/8 inches (22.2 x 31.3 cm)
Signed and dated along right edge: K.Haring ’84
#19. Untitled, 1984
Artcurial Paris: 26 November 2025
Estimated: EUR 7,000 – 9,000
EUR 26,480 / USD 30,695
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1984
Marker on paper
8.6 x 6.2 inches (20.3 × 15.2 cm)
Signed
#20. Untitled, 1983
Phillips New-York: 22 October 2025
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 28,380
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring Editions & Works on Paper
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1983
Unique silver ink drawing on a manila envelope
12×9 inches (30.5 x 22.9 cm)
Signed and dated in silver ink
With the artist’s name, studio and home phone numbers inscribed in black ink on the reverse
And with a Pop Shop sticker affixed to the reverse
#21. UNTITLED, 1983
Hampel Munich: 4 December 2025
Estimated: EUR 20,000 – 40,000
EUR 18,000 (Hammer)
EUR 23,310 / USD 27,180
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring | UNTITLED (1983) | MutualArt
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
UNTITLED, 1983
Sumi ink on Japanese paper
22 x 25 5/8 inches (56×65 cm)
Signed “K. Haring” lower right
#22. UNTITLED, 1983
Hampel Munich: 4 December 2025
Estimated: EUR 20,000 – 40,000
EUR 16,000 (Hammer)
EUR 20,720 / USD 24,160
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring, | HAMPEL Fine Art Auctions 4.12.2025
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
UNTITLED, 1983
Sumi ink on Japanese paper
22 x 25 3/8 inches (56×64 cm)
Signed “K. Haring” lower right
#23. Untitled (Zena at 17 Years), 1985
Phillips New-York: 16 December 2025
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 21,930
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, New York
Ink on paper
11×15 inches (27.9 x 38.1 cm)
signed, titled, inscribed and dated “KHD261 ZENA AT 17 YEARS – K. Haring FEB 21 85” on the reverse
#24. Barking dogs and dog, 1988
Bertolami Fine Art Roma: 4 December 2025
Estimated: EUR 4,000 – 6,000
EUR 17,840 / USD 20,800
WORK ON PAPER
KEITH HARING : Barking dogs and dog (1988)
KEITH HARING (Pennsylvania, 1958 – New York, 1990)
Barking dogs and dog, 1988
Black marker on paper
19.3 x 13.8 inches (49×35 cm)
Signed and dated lower center
On the back stamps of: Keith Haring Estate, Tony Shafrazi Gallery and Lucio Amelio Gallery in Naples
#25. Untitled (Vase Drawing), 1974
Estimated: USD 4,000 – 6,000
USD 20,160
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled (Vase Drawing), 1974
Ink, watercolor and paper collage on paper
7 1/2 x 4 3/4 inches (19.1 x 12.1 cm)
#26. Untitled, 1986
Phillips New-York: 16 December 2025
Estimated: USD 12,000 – 18,000
USD 19,350
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring Modern & Contemporary Art: Online Auction, New York
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1986
Ink on paper
22 1/8 x 29 3/4 inches (56.2 x 75.6 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated “KHD145 © K. Haring JUNE 18-86” on the reverse
Lots Passed
Untitled, 1982
Sotheby’s New-York: 26 September 2025
Estimated: USD 350,000 – 550,000
WORK ON PAPER
PASSED
Untitled | Contemporary Curated | 2025 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
38×50 inches (96.5 x 127 cm)
Signed and dated March 12 – 82 (on the verso)
Self Portrait, 1987
Christie’s New-York: 15 May 2025
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
WORK ON PAPER
PASSED
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Self Portrait | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Self Portrait, 1987
Sumi ink and gouache on paper
28 5/8 x 43 1/4 inches (72.7 x 110 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring 87’ (lower right)
Signed again, inscribed, titled and dated again
‘SELF PORTRAIT K. Haring JUNE 20 1987 KNOKKE’
(on the reverse)
Untitled, 1987
Christie’s London: 6 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 200,000
WORK ON PAPER
PASSED
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1987
Sumi ink and ink on paper
28 3/4 x 43 3/8 inches (73 x 110.2 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated ‘K. Haring JUNE 20 1987 KNOKKE’ (on the reverse)
Lots Withdrawn
Untitled, 1979
Phillips New-York: 28 February 2025
Estimated: USD 400,000 – 600,000
WORK ON PAPER
WITHDRAWN
Keith Haring – New Now: Modern & Co… Lot 20 February 2025 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1979
Ink and acrylic on paper
67 x 94 3/4 inches (170.2 x 240.7 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated
“painted JANUARY. 1979 – Keith Haring – red & black on brown paper in 2 parts”
on the reverse of the right sheet
2024 Auction Results
#1. Untitled, 1982
Christie’s New-York: 14 May 2024
Estimated: USD 1,000,000 – 1,500,000
USD 2,046,500
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
72 x 115 1/2 inches (182.9 x 293.4 cm)
#2. Luna Luna Drawings, 1986
Bonhams New-York: 20 November 2024
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 381,500
WORK ON PAPER
Felt-tip pen on paper (in four parts)
Each: 16 9/10 x 22 inches (43×56 cm)
#3. Untitled, 1982
Christie’s New-York: 22 November 2024
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 378,000
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
38 1/4 x 50 inches (97.2 x 127 cm)
#4. Untitled, circa 1980
Phillips New-York: 20 November 2024
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 355,600
Keith Haring – Modern & Contempora… Lot 142 November 2024 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, circa 1980
Ink and spray paint on paper
48 1/2 x 61 inches (123.2 x 154.9 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated “K. Haring JULY 1980 (22ND ST. STUDIO)” on the reverse
#5. Basel ’82, 1982
Sotheby’s London: 26 June 2024
Estimated: GBP 80,000 – 120,000
GBP 144,000 / USD 182,592
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Basel ’82, 1982
Sumi ink on card
20 x 28 1/2 inches (50.7 x 72.5 cm)
Signed and dated June.17 1982 BASEL (on the verso)
#6. Untitled, 1984
Christie’s Paris: 7 June 2024
Estimated: EUR 120,000 – 180,000
EUR 151,200 / USD 164,665
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6488506
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1984
Acrylic on paper
37 3/8 x 49 5/8 inches (95×126 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring APRIL 28-1984’ (au dos)
#7. Untitled, 1988
Phillips New-York: 15 May 2024
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 152,400
Keith Haring – Modern & Contemporary Ar… Lot 147 May 2024 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1988
Sumi ink on paper
29 x 40 1/8 inches (73.7 x 101.9 cm)
Signed, dedicated and dated “K. Haring AUG. 25 88 ⨁ For Dennis” lower right
#8. Drawings for Paris Review, 1982
Sotheby’s New-York: 1 March 2024
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 107,950
Drawings for Paris Review | Contemporary Curated | 2024 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Drawings for Paris Review, 1982
Ink and graphite on paper
Image: 8 x 10 1/2 inches (20.3 x 26.7 cm)
Sheet: 11 x 13 7/8 inches (27.9 x 35.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated Sept. 23 – 82 (lower left)
#9. Untitled, 1982
Christie’s New-York: 1 October 2024
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
USD 69,300
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
12 5/8 x 20 inches (32.1 x 50.8 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring Jan. 7-1982’ (on the reverse)
#10. Untitled (Drawing for “Popeye”), 1982
Phillips London: 27 June 2024
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 50,800 / USD 64,414
https://www.phillips.com/detail/keith-haring/UK010424/54
KEITH HARING
Untitled (Drawing for “Popeye”), 1982
Felt-tip pen and ink on paper
Sheet: 35.2 x 43 cm (13 7/8 x 16 7/8 inches)
Signed, titled and dated ‘DRAWING FOR “POPEYE” Keith Haring 82 NOV. 12’ right margin
#11. Untitled, 1986
Phillips New-York: 12 March 2024
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 50,800
https://www.phillips.com/detail/keith-haring/NY010124/155
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1986
Felt tip pen on paper
4 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches (12.1 x 12.1 cm)
Signed “K. Haring 86 ⨁” lower center
#12. Untitled, 1985
Christie’s New-York: 13 March 2024
Estimated: USD 10,000 – 15,000
USD 50,400
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6472022
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1985
Marker on paper
8 x 5 3/8 inches (20.3 x 13.7 cm)
Signed and dated ‘July 23 85 K. Haring’ (lower edge)
#13. Untitled, 1980
Sotheby’s London: 26 January 2024
Estimated: GBP 15,000 – 20,000
GBP 38,100 / USD 48,311
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2024/contemporary-discoveries-2/untitled-13
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1980
Ink on paper
8 1/4 x 10 5/8 inches (20.7 x 27.1 cm)
#14. Untitled (Two Works), 1989
Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 5 April 2024
Estimated: HKD 80,000 – 150,000
HKD 190,500 / USD 24,354
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Two Works), 1989
Marker pen on paper
Each: 4 3/4 x 3 3/8 inches (12 x 8.5 cm)
Male: signed
Female: signed and dated 89
2023 Auction Results
#1. Untitled, 1988
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 November 2023
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 533,400
Untitled | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1988
Sumi ink and gouache on paper
28 x 39 3/8 inches (71.1 x 100 cm)
Signed and dated 8.8.88 (on the verso)
#2. Untitled, 1986
Christie’s New-York: 10 November 2023
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 441,000
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) & ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) & ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Untitled, 1986
Acrylic, ink and paper collage on paper
40 3/8 x 30 1/4 inches (102.6 x 76.7 cm)
Signed ‘Andy Warhol’ (lower left); signed ‘Keith Haring’ (lower right); dated ‘© 1986’ (center right)
#3. Untitled, 1981
Christie’s New-York: 10 November 2023
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 302,400
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1981
Sumi ink on paper
40 7/8 x 49 1/4 inches (103.8 x 125.1 cm)
Signed, dedicated and dated ‘K. Haring OCT. 13-81 FOR DAZE’ (on the reverse)
#4. Untitled, 1983
Phillips New-York: 15 November 2023
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 190,500
Keith Haring – 20th Century & Cont… Lot 146 November 2023 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1983
Sumi ink on paper
31 1/8 x 43 3/8 inches (79.1 x 110.2 cm)
Signed, inscribed, titled and dated “K. Haring MAR.7-83 TOKYO ⨁” on the reverse
#5. Untitled, 1989
Christie’s New-York: 29 September 2023
Estimated: USD 70,000 – 100,000
USD 138,600
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6443789
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1989
Gouache, ink and printed paper collage on paper
38 3/8 x 38 3/8 inches (97.5 x 97.5 cm)
Signed and dated ‘OCT. 4 1989 © K. Haring’ (on the reverse)
#6. Untitled, 1989
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 November 2023
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 127,000
Untitled | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1989
Sumi ink, gouache and paper collage on paper
38×50 inches (96×127 cm)
Signed and dated JAN. 31 – 89 (on the verso)
#7. Freud Drawings, 1989
Christie’s New-York: 10 March 2023
Estimated: USD 70,000 – 100,000
USD 81,900
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Freud Drawings, 1989
Sumi ink, gouache and printed paper collage on paper
38 1/4 x 50 inches (97.2 x 127 cm)
Signed, titled, dated and inscribed ‘”FREUD DRAWINGS” – c JAN. 31-89 K. Haring +” (on the reverse)
#8. Untitled, 1982
Phillips London: 6 December 2023
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
GBP 40,640 / USD 51,151
Keith Haring – New Now London Lot 106 December 2023 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1982
Ink on paper
12 5/8 x 20 inches (32.1 x 50.8 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring jan. 7 – ’82 ⊕’ on the reverse
2022 Auction Results
#1. Untitled (Drawings for Fashion Moda, New Museum), 1980
Christie’s London: 28 February 2022
Estimated: GBP 350,000 – 550,000
GBP 441,000 / USD 587,295
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Drawings for Fashion Moda, New Museum), 1980
Sumi ink on posterboard
48 1⁄4 x 93 1⁄2 inches (122.5 x 237.4 cm)
Signed and inscribed ‘K. Haring DRAWING for FASHION SHOW AT NEW’ (on the reverse)
#2. Untitled (Le Mans), 1984
Christie’s Paris: 20 September 2022
Estimated: EUR 150,000 – 200,000
EUR 466,200 / USD 460,535
Keith Haring (1958-1990) (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Le Mans), 1984
Acrylic and sumi ink on paper
43 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (110×75 cm)
Dated ’84’ (upper right)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring June 16 – 1984 +’ (on the reverse)
2021 Auction Results
Record Breakers
Untitled, 1982
Property from a Private European Collection
Sotheby’s New-York: 18 November 2025
Estimated: USD 800,000 – 1,200,000
USD 1,514,000
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled | The Now & Contemporary Evening Auction | 2025 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1982
Ink on paper
71×94 inches (180.3 x 238.8 cm)
Untitled, 1982
Christie’s New-York: 14 May 2024
Estimated: USD 1,000,000 – 1,500,000
USD 2,046,500
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
72 x 115 1/2 inches (182.9 x 293.4 cm)
Pop Shop Drawings
Keith Haring was destined to be an artist. From a young age, Haring grew up learning to draw from his father, and though he was inspired by famous illustrators such as Walt Disney and Dr. Seuss, his father encouraged him to invent his own characters. This impetus to originate his own images rather than to copy or emulate those already existing in the media is what inevitably skyrocketed Haring to fame, gaining first New York City-wide and soon after national and international recognition for his visual lexicon including radiant babies, barking dogs, best buddies, and breakdancers. The present suite of twelve drawings—shown together for the first time since their creation in 1985—encapsulate Haring as a groundbreaking artist of his time, and an artist whose legacy continues to grow and impact the world more than twenty years after his death. Each drawing a career-defining masterpiece, these compositions were integral to Haring’s unconventional yet highly successful Pop Shop which opened in 1986. These drawings mark the inspiration for the set of silkscreen prints bearing the same imagery, and were also the iconic, underlying images which were then realized upon merchandise sold in his store.
KEITH HARING IN FRONT OF HIS FLAGSHIP POP SHOP ON LAFAYETTE STREET. © KEITH HARING FOUNDATION PHOTO BY TSENG KWONG CHI | © MUNA TSENG DANCE PROJECTS, INC., NEW YORK.
Having learned about Semiotics while at SVA, Haring carried forward with him the potential for images to speak as a language. Part of this was recognizing the value of repetition, which Haring employed in his oeuvre starting with his subway drawings; once his visual lexicon was established and recognizable, he continued to repeat the same images using varying mediums throughout his body of work. Haring recognized his ability to craft narratives through the myriad combinations and juxtapositions of his figures, in effect telling a story without words that could be relatable to anyone who came across his work.
While his visual vocabulary builds a narrative, the compositions also embody Haring himself as an artist. The images which became central to his work were also central to his life, and to the broader socio-political issues which he was compelled to address. The radiant baby and barking dog serve as the primal symbols of humanity and life; Haring also addressed central themes such as sexuality, war, friendship, and technology. The present works, which are all equally-sized compositions, incorporate many of his most famous icons, and offer Haring’s unique version of reality told through bold, inky black strokes.
Demonstrated in the twelve drawings are figures such as the tree of life, best buddies, a two-headed barking dog, and breakdancers. These images all recurred throughout Haring’s oeuvre, but in the moment Haring created these drawings, he had already refined his lexicon through drawing in the subway and was now speaking assuredly using his distinct vocabulary. What is evident in the twelve drawings is Haring’s ability to craft a narrative using his singular visual language: he evokes movement, joy, friendship, and simply the raw, honest energy of being alive. Further affirming their centrality to his body of work, these drawings inspired a series of silkscreen prints bearing the same imagery, and similar iconography was featured in large scale paintings and murals throughout Haring’s accomplished career.
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 214,200
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 138,600
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 163,800
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 163,800
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 151,200
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 163,800
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 252,000
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 151,200
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 163,800
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 252,000
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 126,000
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Sotheby’s New-York: 15 March 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 151,200
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled (Pop Shop Drawing), 1985
Ink on paper
11×14 inches (27.9 x 35.6 cm)
Signed and dated SEPT. 4 – 85 on the reverse
Works on Paper
Uni-Cow, 1984
Heritage Auctions: 19 November 2025
Estimated: USD 20,000 – 30,000
USD 35,000
WORK ON PAPER
Keith Haring (1958-1990). Uni-Cow, 1984. Felt-tip pen on paper. | Lot #77050 | Heritage Auctions
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Uni-Cow, 1984
Felt-tip pen on paper
8 3/4 x 12 3/8 inches (22.2 x 31.3 cm)
Signed and dated along right edge: K.Haring ’84
Playful, bold, and instantly recognizable, Uni-Cow captures Keith Haring’s humor and unmistakable visual language at its most spontaneous. Drawn in 1984, the work brings together two of Haring’s favorite ideas, the mythical and the everyday, into a single, delightfully absurd creature. With its wide grin, striped patches, and outstretched tongue, the “Uni-Cow” feels both silly and sincere, perfectly embodying Haring’s belief that art should be open, joyful, and direct. By 1984, Haring was at the height of his career. His imagery covered city walls, subway stations, and gallery spaces alike, and his unmistakable figures had become global symbols of creativity and optimism.
Untitled, 1980
Estimated: GBP 250,000 – 350,000
GBP 304,800 / USD 408,430
WORK ON PAPER
Untitled, 1980
Sumi ink, acrylic and spray paint on paper
61 3/8 x 48 inches (155.8 x 122 cm)
Signed, inscribed, numbered and stamped with the date
‘JUL 18 1980 K. Haring 22ND ST. STUDIO NYC 1of 16’
(on the reverse)
The present work on paper by Keith Haring is a vibrant early example of the American artist’s celebrated visual language. It was executed in 1980 during his residency at P.S. 122—a non-profit arts organization known today as Performance Space New York (PSNY)—on the corner of First Avenue and Ninth Street in the heart of New York City’s East Village. Concluding with an open-studio exhibition, this was a key moment for Haring which saw the arrival of his signature style. He had moved to the city just two years earlier.
Executed on a ground painted pale pink, this large-format work depicts a UFO blasting a beam of energy towards a room or box which holds five silhouetted figures, their hands linked in a chain. Spaceship and earthlings alike emit sparks of energy. Haring’s use of red, orange and green spray paint gives the picture a fluorescent glow. Its soft haze works in tandem with the sharp, comic book-esque lines in black ink to create an image which is both of this world and out of it.
Keith Haring, Untitled, 1981. Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh. Artwork: © The Keith Haring Foundation.
The flying saucer is one of the defining motifs of Haring’s early practice, which drew equally on contemporary painters such as Pierre Alechinsky and New York’s thriving street-art scene. Haring had grown up in small-town Pennsylvania in the 1960s, a period when the US was gripped and terrified by stories of UFOs. For the young artist, alien spacecraft were not objects of fear but instead symbols of otherness and forbidden desires, shooting energy rays that could endow their receivers with special power. Haring would later claim the UFO motif had a pivotal role in his artistic development.
“Out of these drawings, my entire future vocabulary was born. I have no idea why it turned out like that. It certainly wasn’t a conscious thing. But after these initial images, everything fell into place…”
Keith Haring performing during one of his ‘Acts of Live Art’ nights at Club 57 in 1980. Photo: Joseph Szkodzinski.
In these early years Haring also staged a performance series called ‘Acts of Live Art’ at Club 57, around the corner from P.S. 122. He was fascinated by dance, movement and communal experience, and often brought these themes into his art. The figures in the present work stand together in a room that radiates a yellow incandescence, illuminated like the nightclubs he frequented in downtown New York. Holding hands, they represent a democratizing spirit of friendship and solidarity—a message that would reverberate through the artist’s entire career, even as he came to deal with darker subject matter such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Thrumming to an alien rhythm, the present work is a vital example of his effervescent practice.
Untitled (Snake), 1983
Christie’s New-York: 15 May 2025
Estimated: USD 180,000 – 250,000
USD 252,000
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled (Snake) | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Snake), 1983
Sumi ink on Japanese pearlescent paper
24 1/2 x 26 inches (61.6 x 66 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring JAN. 6- 83’ (lower right)
Keith Haring’s deep connection to Tokyo and the Watari-um Museum marked a pivotal chapter in his artistic career—one that left a lasting imprint on his work and on Japan’s cultural landscape. His first visit to the country in 1983 on the invitation of Galerie Watari marked Keith’s first ever exhibition in Japan and proved transformative, igniting his creative vision and forging a meaningful relationship with the city of Tokyo. During this visit, Haring created Untitled and Untitled (Snake), two significant works commissioned by Galerie Watari. These works remained part of the Watari-um’s collection for decades, reflecting Haring’s deep connection to both Tokyo and the museum. Now, after many years as part of the Watari-um’s collection, these works will continue to serve the museum—albeit in a different form—as they are entrusted for sale to help realize essential renovations, ensuring the institution’s future while honoring its past.
The Watari-um Museum of Contemporary Art, founded in 1990 as a private institution, was envisioned and established by Shizuko Watari, who served as its first director. She played a pivotal role in introducing major international artists—such as Andy Warhol, Donald Judd, and Keith Haring—to Japanese audiences. The museum’s striking architecture, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta, features a façade resembling a bird in flight, symbolizing its forward-looking approach to contemporary art. From the beginning, the Watari-um has collaborated with leading curators including Harold Szeemann and Jan Hoet to present international contemporary exhibitions. The museum has also prioritized nurturing the local contemporary art scene, especially by introducing young Japanese artists to a broader audience. Shizuko Watari’s approach to curation was guided more by instinct than by a fixed program.
Untitled, 1983
Christie’s New-York: 15 May 2025
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 214,200
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1983
Sumi ink and acrylic on paper
15 1/2 x 20 3/4 inches (40×53 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated ‘K. Haring Feb. 28 – 83 TOKYO’ (on the reverse)
Haring’s first exhibition in Japan, held at Galerie Watari in 1983, marked a major milestone in his career. During this trip, he collaborated with graffiti artist Angel Ortiz (LA2) to create a vibrant mural on the interior and exterior of ON SUNDAYS, a building adjacent to the gallery. This mural, which captured the bold and energetic spirit of Haring’s style, became an iconic part of Tokyo’s urban landscape. When the building was dismantled in 2018, the mural was carefully preserved, a testament to its cultural significance. The success of Haring’s initial visit led to his return to Tokyo in 1986 to open his second Pop Shop. Though short-lived, the Tokyo Pop Shop had a significant influence on Japanese pop culture. More than a retail space, it embodied Haring’s belief that art should be accessible to all. Through items like T-shirts and buttons, he communicated themes of social activism, love, and equality. Haring’s relationship with the Watari-um and his time in Tokyo helped shape both his artistic evolution and his global legacy. His engagement with Japanese culture and his collaborations with the museum left a lasting impression that continues to resonate in the art world and popular culture today.
TV Dog, 1982
Christie’s London: 6 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 214,200 / USD 274,176
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), TV Dog | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
TV Dog, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
23 x 28 7/8 inches (58.3 x 73.4 cm)
Signed and dated ‘APRIL 6 – 1982 K. Haring’ (on the reverse)
Offered from the collection of the celebrated Dutch furniture designer Martin Visser, Untitled and Untitled (TV Dog) (both 1982) are iconic expressions of Keith Haring’s unmistakable linear style. Haring synthesised the aesthetic of Disney animations, New York graffiti and the raw art of Jean Dubuffet into an unprecedented new language. Untitled depicts two standing canine forms pulling apart a human body, forming a surreal echo of Goya’s Saturn, devouring his son (1820-1823, Museo del Prado, Madrid). Haring’s work has been described as modern hieroglyphics, and his standing dogs resemble Anubis, the Ancient Egyptian guardian to the underworld. Untitled (TV Dog) features a television in the shape of a quadruped barking dog. The TV set’s buttons and speakers resemble a face: this chimera is literally talking out of its rear. An atom is on the screen, conjuring up the specter of nuclear war.
Untitled, 1982
Christie’s London: 6 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 200,000 – 300,000
GBP 378,000 / USD 483,840
KEITH HARING (1958-1990), Untitled | Christie’s
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
38 1/4 x 50 inches (97×127 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring MARCH 12 – 82’ (on the reverse)
These two works have a storied provenance. Visser was renowned for designing modern classics such as the BR 02 sofa bed and the SZ 02 armchair. He was also a discriminating, forward-thinking collector, amassing works by Lucio Fontana, Sol Lewitt, Anselm Kiefer and the CoBrA artists. Visser was an early admirer of Haring, and acquired Untitled and Untitled (TV Dog) through the artist’s dealer Tony Shafrazi in the early 1980s. Both works were exhibited in Little Arena: Drawings and Sculptures from the Collection Visser (1984) at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, where they were previously on long-term loan. Prior to their time at the Kröller-Müller, they were housed in the Groninger Museum, Groningen. Haring was a pioneer whose art went beyond the gallery and into the visual world of everyday culture. Part of its power lay in his development of a vocabulary of instantly recognizable motifs. The barking dog, which Haring used from 1980, is perhaps the most iconic of all. It represents the abusers of power, barking prejudice against minorities such as people who identify as LGBTQ or those with HIV.
“In different combinations’, he said, ‘they were about the difference between human power and the power of animal instinct.”
(K. Haring, quoted in D. Sheff, ‘Keith Haring, An Intimate Conversation’, Rolling Stone, August 1989). Contemporary conservative commentators believed New York was menaced by packs of stray canines. Haring depicted these abusers as the true dogs. Four decades later, Untitled and Untitled (TV Dog) stand as powerful reminders of Haring’s activist mission and exemplars of his revolutionary practice.
Untitled, 1981
Sotheby’s New-York: 26 February 2025
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 355,600
Untitled | Contemporary Curated | 2025 | Sotheby’s
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1981
Sumi ink on paper
38 x 49 5/8 inches (96.5 x 126 cm)
Signed and dated Sept. 12 – 1981 (on the verso)
Executed in 1981, Untitled is an important early example of Keith Haring’s iconic drawings that rely upon personal iconography and symbolic images. Predating his iconic Pop Shop drawing series, the present work embodies the unique visual vocabulary which would later come to define Haring’s oeuvre. Untitled showcases Haring’s ability to express dynamic movement through forms reduced to their most fundamental elements. Confident in his aesthetic choices, Haring creates bold, assured lines, favoring spontaneous creativity over planned structure. Of utmost importance to Haring during the time of this work’s execution was the technological revolution. Stirring both awe and anxiety, his attention to the explosive rise of 1980s computer and television culture, and the far-reaching effects of mass media in a rapidly globalizing world became central to his practice. In Untitled, within the television screen, the figure covering its eyes surrounded by swarming and overlapping smaller figures is symbolic of what Haring felt with the onslaught of technology and its role in daily life. Using art as a platform of expression and cultural commentary, Haring understood his role and responsibility as an artist to highlight what he felt was important in the world around him. Drawing with a keen eye towards the overwhelming sociopolitical challenges of the 1980s, Haring relied upon a symbolic vocabulary to propel his work into an iconography that acted as commentary of the modern age. Moving to New York in 1978 and working alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and Kenny Scharf, Haring drew from the exploding downtown New York counterculture of rap, hip-hop, street dance, and graffiti art to imbue his art with the spirits of the time. The present work reflects the relationship between one’s self and one’s environment, symbolizing the dynamic between cultural happening and social effect. Haring was a dedicated social activist and worked to make his art relevant to issues of importance to him, highlighting their significance to the broader public through his artwork.
Luna Luna Drawings, 1986
Bonhams New-York: 20 November 2024
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 400,000
USD 381,500
WORK ON PAPER
Felt-tip pen on paper (in four parts)
Each: 16 9/10 x 22 inches (43×56 cm)
Executed in 1986
The world’s first art-themed amusement park, Luna Luna was originally envisioned by Austrian artist André Heller, who believed that “art should come in unconventional guises and be brought to those who might not ordinarily seek it out in more predictable settings.” Debuting in Hamburg, Germany in 1987 and operating for just a few short months, the unique park transformed traditional amusement rides into immersive art installations. It was a groundbreaking meeting point for prominent art movements, from Abstract Expressionism and Art Brut to Dada, Fluxus, Neo-Expressionism, Nouveau Réalisme, Pop Art, Surrealism, and Viennese Actionism. With contributions from renowned artists such as Sonia Delaunay, Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Rebecca Horn, Roy Lichtenstein, and many others, Luna Luna served as a vivid fusion of artistic styles and genres.
After decades forgotten in shipping containers in the Texan desert, the fair was rediscovered. With the involvement of Drake, his company DreamCrew, and Live Nation, Luna Luna was revived and brought to Los Angeles earlier this year where it was celebrated by the art cognoscenti and broader public alike, sparking a deep sense of cultural nostalgia. Keith Haring’s contributions to Luna Luna are central to its legacy. Haring created a carousel adorned with bold lines and neon colors, integrating his signature dancing figures and forms and a set of large banners to which the present drawings are the blueprints. These works, as well as the large-scale panels at the fair, capture Haring’s lifelong goal of making art inclusive, a philosophy at the core of his practice. His carousel was an artwork that was for the ‘everyman’, a symbol of joy and play that is without prejudice. In this way, his drawings depict the panoply of characters to whom Haring appeals.
Influenced by street art and graffiti, Keith Haring’s motifs often served as both exuberant commentary and powerful statements on social issues, including LGBTQ+ rights, the AIDS crisis, and anti-establishment ideals. Emerging in the 1980s, part of a New York New Wave that included Jean-Michel Basquiat, his work became synonymous with the vibrant, street-art-infused energy of Manhattan’s Downtown scene. Despite his untimely death in 1990, Haring’s influence has only grown, securing him a place in the high echelons of the art world and market. His consistently high prices at auction, reflect both the high demand and the lasting impact of his thematic explorations of love, unity, and social justice.
On 20 November 2024, Luna Luna will open its doors in New York, the second stop of what may become a global tour, fulfilling André Heller’s intent to make ensure it was accessible to as wide a group of art enthusiasts as possible. Ultimately, Luna Luna stands as both a nostalgic return to the past and a forward-looking celebration of the intersections between art and public life. Haring’s contributions remain a highlight of the park, illustrating his broader impact on art history, pop culture, and the art market, where his works remain coveted. This new chapter for Luna Luna underscores both Haring’s vision but also his lasting significance as an artist whose work spans generations and continues to inspire. The present drawings offer a chance to acquire a quintessential piece of art history, filled with vibrant energetic scenes of all of Harings most beloved and coveted characters.Untitled, circa 1980
Phillips New-York: 20 November 2024
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 355,600
Keith Haring – Modern & Contempora… Lot 142 November 2024 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, circa 1980
Ink and spray paint on paper
48 1/2 x 61 inches (123.2 x 154.9 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated “K. Haring JULY 1980 (22ND ST. STUDIO)” on the reverse
Keith Haring’s Untitled, circa 1980, is characterized by pared-down, stencil-like animal forms rendered against a background of vibrant color and pattern. Created with black ink and neon spray paint, the present work illustrates Haring’s inspiration and contribution to the street art and graffiti movements of 1980s New York. Untitled is a rare example of Haring’s early practice, created just before the artist’s groundbreaking debut within the New York art scene at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in 1982. More than five feet wide, Untitled has been exhibited internationally, including in notable traveling exhibitions Keith Haring: The Political Line, 2013–2016, Keith Haring Jean-Michel Basquiat | Crossing Lines, 2019–2020, and, most recently, in Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody, which closed in September of this year.
Installation view of the present work in Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody, November 2023–March 2024.
Image: Tracey Owusu, © AGO Toronto, Artwork: © Keith Haring Foundation
Animals were a staple within Haring’s oeuvre, first found in his subway drawings in the early 1980s and later in some of his most iconic compositions. In the present work, four animals, perhaps an early rendition of the artist’s signature dogs or sheep, are illustrated among an airy and densely patterned field. Three of the figures are a fleshy tan, the background hue underneath the sprays of color. The animal in the lower register of the composition is in contrast colored in solid black—the “black sheep” of the family of grazers. The spray paint around and behind the animals is imperfect, with some of the grassy green intruding inside the thick black outlines of the animals. The animals and the thick, inky contours which confine them invoke a childlike primitivism which is central to Haring’s practice. These forms reference a connection to the depiction of animals in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a consistent theme throughout the artist’s oeuvre. Like those of the Egyptians, Haring’s animals act as symbols and signs within the artist’s distinct pictorial vocabulary.
[Left] Installation view of the present work in Los Angeles, The Broad, Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody, May 20–October 8, 2023. Image: The Broad, Los Angeles, Artwork: © Keith Haring Foundation
[Right] Installation view of the present work in Kunsthal Rotterdam, Keith Haring: The Political Line, September 19, 2015–February 8, 2016. Artwork: © Keith Haring Foundation
Untitled explores what Haring considered the fine line between graffiti and high art forms, a preoccupation that would define the artist’s practice. Upon his move to New York in the late 1970s, Haring became inspired by the street art he saw in his downtown Manhattan neighborhood. Embracing the raw energy of urban culture, Haring often used spray paint, the preferred medium of street artists, for his paintings. He embraced the imperfection and tactility with which it was applied, demonstrated here in the repetitive, squiggly lines which come in and out of the picture plane. Haring rendered his motifs on a variety of supports throughout his career, including on paper, plastic and tarps before switching to canvas around 1985. As such, in the early 1980s, Haring’s paintings on paper can be considered masterworks of art in their own right, the present example blown up to the scale of a large canvas or tarp.
Drawings for Paris Review, 1982
Sotheby’s New-York: 1 March 2024
Estimated: USD 80,000 – 120,000
USD 107,950
Drawings for Paris Review | Contemporary Curated | 2024 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Drawings for Paris Review, 1982
Ink and graphite on paper
Image: 8 x 10 1/2 inches (20.3 x 26.7 cm)
Sheet: 11 x 13 7/8 inches (27.9 x 35.2 cm)
Signed, titled and dated Sept. 23 – 82 (lower left)
Depicting tiers of dancing figures in a human pyramid, Keith Haring’s Drawings for Paris Review exemplifies the distinct graphic style for which the artist is best known. In the face of the AIDS epidemic, Haring used his jubilant figures to both celebrate and reconcile music, movement, and an interconnected human spirit. Within Haring’s self-contained ink frame, figures shake and spin, epitomizing the artist’s unique pop vernacular and effusive spirit. Here, dancing not only pays homage to the energetic nightlife scene of downtown Manhattan but becomes a broader symbol of togetherness and resilience in the midst of the AIDS crisis.
“It was the idea of making the movements I was doing into a kind of choreography,
a kind of dance.
I was thinking that the very act of painting placed you in an exhilarated state.”
THE PRESENT WORK ILLUSTRATED ON THE COVER OF THE PARIS REVIEW, ISSUE 85, FALL 1982 (MODIFIED WITH RED BACKGROUND). ART © 2024 THE KEITH HARING FOUNDATION
The present work is being offered as part of the Collection of William T. Georgis and Richard D. Marshall. Marshall was an influential curator with a 20-year tenure at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Marshall was an early supporter of Haring’s work and career and invited him to design the cover of the fall 1982 edition of The Paris Review. In 1997, Marshall curated an exhibition and authored a monograph titled In Your Face, celebrating Keith Haring alongside his contemporaries Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 2005-2006, Marshall presented an exhibition devoted to Keith Haring’s sculpture at Lever House, where his dancing figures in red, yellow, and blue were presented in the Lever House lobby gallery and plaza.
Untitled, 1988
Sotheby’s New-York: 16 November 2023
Estimated: USD 250,000 – 350,000
USD 533,400
Untitled | Contemporary Day Auction | 2023 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)
KEITH HARING (1958 – 1990)
Untitled, 1988
Sumi ink and gouache on paper
28 x 39 3/8 inches (71.1 x 100 cm)
Signed and dated 8.8.88 (on the verso)
Like his contemporary compatriots Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, Keith Haring was driven by a deep-rooted personal desire to serve as a narrator of the modern age. With Basquiat, Haring shared the kitsch, gritty origins of a street artist trained in the language of graffiti and tagging; with Warhol, he shared an interest in appropriating icons of socio-political ideals through reproduction and mass proliferation. Untitled bears witness to Haring’s deceptively naïve symbolic language, which became the activist compelling vocabulary through which he sought to impart political disquietude. The bold chromatic choice of color and the figures’ nearly grid-like formation are at once lyrical and balanced, conveying a potent energy that enlivens the picture with strong emotive power.
“I aim for an art which would be in immediate connection with daily life, which could start from our daily life and which would be a very direct and very sincere expression of our real life and real moods.”
Synergizing the tabulated code of graffiti, Haring positions himself as the artist-provocateur—responsible for speaking out against inequity, warning against oppression, and connecting with a public audience on issues such as AIDS, drug abuse, racism, mass-media, ecological preservation, or nuclear technology. Throughout his tragically short career, Haring was an adamant activist, and after being diagnosed himself with HIV/AIDS in 1987 and having watched many friends and members of his community succumb to the disease in years prior, Haring played a significant role in bringing awareness about the disease and promoting safe sex to help prevent more deaths from happening.
KEITH HARING, IGNORANCE = FEAR, 1989, POSTER DESIGNED FOR THE AIDS COALITION TO UNLEASH POWER (ACT UP).
In Untitled, 1988, Keith Haring presents the ‘see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ motif, which originates in a Buddhist parable about three monkeys but would appear in Haring’s work as early as 1981 relating to religious themes the artist would reflect on given his devoutly Christian upbringing. During the AIDS crisis, at the time largely ignored for many years by the government and general public given the marginalized groups most affected, Haring returns to the motif to reappropriate it as an activist symbol that encouraged education and discussion of the virus in order to combat it. ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ thus becomes an important symbol representing the dangers of a society keeping quiet on a very serious issue they were watching destroy lives and communities. In 1989, Haring would even use the motif as part of an important poster designed to be used for the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) campaign, in which the artist directly establishes the relationship between ignorance and silence with fear and death, to spark education and speaking up as a way to fight for his community and fight for life.
Untitled, 1981
Christie’s New-York: 10 November 2023
Estimated: USD 200,000 – 300,000
USD 478,800
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled, 1981
Felt-tip marker and paint pen on plastic
18×24 inches (45.7 x 61 cm)
Signed and dated ‘Keith Haring May 81’ (on the reverse)
Untitled (Blue) exudes a sense of movement and spontaneity. This, combined with the simplicity of Haring’s forms, creates an engaging and energetic visual experience, making Untitled (Blue) a classic and compelling Haring composition. Haring’s artistic style is marked by its distinctive and iconic characteristics. As shown in the present lot, Haring employed bold lines to create figures and shapes that are simple yet instantly recognizable. His use of vibrant, primary colors adds an unmistakably dynamic quality to his work. Untitled (Blue), from 1981, is a prime example of some of Haring’s most iconic motifs – the classic Haring dogs each jumping whimsically through the gold, spotted central figure, one by one – all against an eye-catching and vivacious blue background. With deceivingly simple works like Untitled (Blue), Haring left an indelible mark on the art world. Haring’s fusion of graffiti, street art, and fine art challenged traditional artistic boundaries, democratizing art and bringing it to a wider audience. Beyond aesthetics, Haring’s work carried powerful messages about social and political issues. The artist’s commitment to using art as a tool for social change inspired countless artists and activists, and his influence can be seen in the evolution of street art and the embrace of art as a means of cultural and political expression.
Untitled, 1986
Christie’s New-York: 10 November 2023
Estimated: USD 300,000 – 500,000
USD 441,000
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) & ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987), Untitled | Christie’s (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990) & ANDY WARHOL (1928-1987)
Untitled, 1986
Acrylic, ink and paper collage on paper
40 3/8 x 30 1/4 inches (102.6 x 76.7 cm)
Signed ‘Andy Warhol’ (lower left); signed ‘Keith Haring’ (lower right); dated ‘© 1986’ (center right)
The present lot is the first collaboration between two superstars of the 1980s New York art scene, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. The pair first met in 1982, and this study for the poster for the 20th Montreux Jazz Festival—commissioned by the art director, Pierre Keller—was created four years later. Origins of this collaboration began in 1982 when Keller and Haring were introduced, not long after Haring’s first exhibition at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York. The year after, Haring agreed to design the poster, Keller brought Warhol on, and the pairing was forged. The story goes that the day before the design was due and Keller was leaving New York, nothing was done. In a stroke of inspiration, Haring suggested that Warhol draw a series of staves, and Haring would draw figures dancing on the lines, resembling musical notes. The duo then painted the poster red and yellow, which reminded Keller of the bottle design for the prominent Swiss seasoning, Maggi. Warhol and Haring finished the poster just in time, and Keller took it with him, the typography and signatures arriving in the mail a few days later.
Untitled, 1986
Phillips London: 8 December 2022
Estimated: GBP 80,000 – 120,000
GBP 75,600 / USD 92,499
Keith Haring – New Now London Lot 22 December 2022 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1986
Sumi ink and oxidised metal on paper mounted on panel
27 1/8 x 53 1/4 inches (68.9 x 135.3 cm)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring 86’ lower right
In its fluid, calligraphic sense of line and simplified approach to form, this large-scale untitled work on paper by Keith Haring highlights the close stylistic relationship between eastern visual cultures and the burgeoning street art movement in 1980s America. Such connections were made explicitly by the artist himself, who had been immediately struck by the graffiti he found slowly spreading across New York’s streets and subways after his arrival there in 1978. Japan held a particular fascination for Haring, especially after his first visit to Tokyo in 1983 on the occasion of the opening of his inaugural exhibition in the country. Inspired and excited by the vibrant metropolis, he immediately started working on a large-scale mural adjacent to the gallery alongside the young graffiti writer Angel Ortiz who had joined Haring on the trip. While Japan’s unique distillation of tradition and techno-modernity certainly appealed to Haring, the country also responded enthusiastically to his accessible and inclusive approach to art-making, and it was not long before Haring opened a second site for his New York Pop Shop in Tokyo. Although the venture would ultimately be short-lived for economic reasons, it highlighted both Haring’s deep affinity with the city, and its reciprocal ‘love of American pop culture, and their love of him and his artwork.’i Indeed, Japan remains the only country to house a permanent public collection of Haring’s work in the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection located in a forest to the south of the Yatsugadake Mountains.
Matsumura Goshun, Seven Haiku Poets, c. 1785, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania. Image: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, PA, USA / Purchased with funds contributed by Andrea M. Baldeck, M.D. and William M. Hollis, Jr., 1997 / Bridgeman Images
Such a dialogue seems perfectly distilled in the present work, Haring’s iconic ‘radiant baby’ motif depicted alongside the animated male figure, whose simply rendered form bears a strong stylistic resemblance to traditional black ink drawings known as sumi-e works. Like contemporary graffiti, sumi-e compositions privileged simplicity and spontaneity, capturing the essence of their subject with a similar sense of immediacy and vitality.
Untitled (Le Mans), 1984
Christie’s Paris: 20 September 2022
Estimated: EUR 150,000 – 200,000
EUR 466,200 / USD 460,535
Keith Haring (1958-1990) (christies.com)
KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Untitled (Le Mans), 1984
Acrylic and sumi ink on paper
43 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (110×75 cm)
Dated ’84’ (upper right)
Signed and dated ‘K. Haring June 16 – 1984 +’ (on the reverse)
In 1984, Keith Haring accepted an invitation from the organizers of the famous 24 Heures du Mans, seeing this popular car race as a way of bringing art down from its pedestal, the better to confront it with life. In this context, he produced the work now in the collection of the Count and Countess Jean-Jacques de Flers, which is emblematic of his technique characterized by the spontaneity and assurance of his gesture: the works are mostly produced in one fell swoop, with the shapes fitting naturally into one another.
Untitled, 1987
Phillips London: 4 March 2022
Estimated: GBP 100,000 – 150,000
GBP 126,000 / USD 166,468
Keith Haring – 20th Century & Contemp… Lot 156 March 2022 | Phillips
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1987
Sumi ink on paper
22 7/8 x 30 1/4 inches (58.1 x 76.7 cm)
Signed, inscribed and dated ‘Jun 25 – 87 © K Haring. KNOKKE’ on the reverse
Untitled is a vibrant and lively work by the groundbreaking and celebrated New York-based artist Keith Haring. Painted in 1987, the work marks Haring’s stay in Knokke, Belgium which, by invitation of Roger Nellens, Haring visited on commission to paint a mural. Nellens was a self-taught Belgian artist and sought to continue the legacy of his father and brother who had previously commissioned works by René Magritte and Paul Delvaux. For the next three years, Haring would visit and stay at Nellens’ home in Knokke every summer. Whilst there, Haring completed his immense mural at the Channel Surf Club to a watchful and festive crowd of onlookers. During this period Haring also famously lived inside of Niki de Saint-Phalle’s The Dragon, a large outdoor sculpture park that Roger Nellens and his wife Fabienne commissioned in 1973 for their son Xavier. The dating and inscription ‘ Jun 25 – 87 KNOKKE’ on the reverse of the present work on paper gives it site specificity and anchors this work in those happy times the artist spent in Knokke. Untitled teems with the artist’s iconic figures that dance characteristically across a white ground. Depicted in a strong black outline, bordered in vivid red, the figures, spirited and animated, are captured in a moment of euphoric transformation. The bold lines encase quicker and looser rapid markings, they combine the essential power of early cave paintings and freedom and physicality reminiscent of the work of Cy Twombly and Sol LeWitt. Haring’s quick and rapid drawings and symbols form a unique language, allowing the artist’s conscious mind to let loose and filter out reason or planned execution.
Untitled, 1989
Sotheby’s New-York: 13 May 2021
Estimated: USD 150,000 – 200,000
USD 277,200
Untitled | Contemporary Art Day Auction | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1989
Sumi ink on paper
30 x 22.5 inches (76.2 x 57.2 cm)
Serving as the underlying image for the iconic silkscreen print bearing the same imagery, this 1989 drawing presents a celebrated image from Keith Haring’s visual alphabet. Haring learned about Semiotics while a student at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and this influenced his understanding of the potential for images to speak as a language. Beginning with his subway drawings in the early 1980s, Haring would repeat the same images, crafting layered narratives through the various combinations and juxtapositions of forms. The images which he refined in his subway drawings became central, recognizable figures in his body of work. The present lot serves as the blueprint for Cup Man, a silkscreen print created in the same year and the largest print in Haring’s oeuvre. A foundation for the famed print, Untitled boasts Haring’s bold, recognizable line, providing unparalleled insight into the artist’s process.
Untitled, 1982
Sotheby’s New-York: 13 May 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 138,600
Untitled | Contemporary Art Day Auction | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)
KEITH HARING
Untitled, 1982
Sumi ink on paper
23.7 x 29 inches (60.3 x 73.7 cm)
“Drawing is making a mark and cutting into space and just finding something that didn’t exist before. It’s pure creation in its simplest form.”
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