Keith Haring, untitled, 1985, screen print, 100 x 81 cm

Keith Haring (1958-1990) gained popularity drawing in chalk on empty black advertising panels in New York underground stations. It was here that he developed his distinctive graphic visual language incorporating figures and symbols such as the crawling baby, the barking dog, flying saucers and big hearts. He created socially engaged art, most often raising the issues of safe sex and AIDS, criticizing homophobia and racism and warning of the dangers of cocaine. Both artistic and activist, Haring’s activities in public spaces were a fundamental aspect of his work: between 1982–89 he created more than fifty such works, most of them for the benefit of hospitals, schools and charities.

Some of Haring’s most recognizable works are characterized by distinctive black lines on a white background with accompanying red elements. An untitled 1985 lithograph in the Galeria Studio Collection follows this aesthetic. Haring’s work is part of Galeria Studio’s “American Collection,” donated to the institution in 1988 by Eva Pape, an American collector of Polish descent. Among other works, it also includes Andy Warhol screen prints and canvases by Wojciech Fangor.

Maria Prokesz