Keith Haring in Line and Color: A Printmaker’s Legacy
Freeman’s | Hindman is pleased to present a session of screenprints and lithographs by Keith Haring (American, 1958–1990), created between 1985 and the artist’s untimely death in 1990. Printmaking allowed Haring to experiment with form while expanding the reach of his public-centric practice.
After moving to New York in 1978, Haring became known for his subway drawings: rapid, expressive chalk drawings on unused advertising panels emphasizing line. Influenced by artists such as Jean Dubuffet, Pierre Alechinsky, and William Burroughs, as well as comic books, Pop Art, and popular culture, Haring noted in 1984 that he was “continually amazed at the number of artists who continue working as if the camera were never invented, as if Andy Warhol never existed, as if airplanes and computers and videotape were never heard of”[i].
Keith Haring (American, 1958-1990) Untitled (from Three Lithographs), 1985 | $50,000-70,000
Interacting with the public daily, Haring emphasized a strong use of outline and recognizable iconographical language—angels, contoured people, scissors, flowers— to convey his thoughts and critiques of contemporary life to the widest possible audience, for which he became world-renowned.
As a part of his goal of increasing engagement with his work, Haring opened the Pop Shop in SoHo in April 1986. He stated, “I wanted to attract the same wide range of people, and I wanted it to be a place where, yes, not only collectors could come, but also kids from the Bronx.” [ii] Alongside toys, ephemera, and T-shirts, he created six sets of four screenprints (1987–1989) specifically for sale at the shop—five impressions of which are featured in our September 26th sale.
Also included are two impressions from Three Lithographs (1985), a striking series in black, white, and red that echoes the aesthetics of his subway drawings; two vibrant works from the Flowers series (1990), from the Collection of Alan Cooper; and International Volunteer Day (1988), a reminder of Haring’s lifelong commitment to social activism.
As art historian Werner Jehle described, these works are “phosphorescent and fluorescent manifestations of mass culture”[iii]. This collection offers an exciting opportunity for collectors to engage with Haring’s enduring legacy through color, line, and message.
[i] Werner Jehle, “Keith Haring: His Choice of Media,” in Keith Haring: Editions on Paper, 1982-1990, ed. Klaus Littmann (Stuttgart: Edition Cantz, 1993), 8. [ii] “The Pop Shop,” The Keith Haring Foundation, accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.haring.com/!/pop-shop. [iii] Jehle, 8.
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