Keith Haring - Fun Gallery Exhibition 1983 - Giclée...

Giclée Reproduction (*) by Keith Haring (**) Reproduction of the work “Fun Gallery,” created by Haring in 1983. Deluxe edition on 250 g/m² archival matte digital paper. A highly versatile, high-quality paper made in Germany from acid- and chlorine-free wood pulp. Print authorized by Artestar New York. Copyright: Keith Haring Foundation. Includes Certificate of Authenticity (COA). - Sheet dimensions: 52 x 62 cm - Image dimensions: 40 x 50 cm - Condition: Excellent (this work has never been framed or displayed and has always been kept in a professional art portfolio, so it is offered in immaculate condition). - Provenance: Private collection. The work will be handled with care and packed in reinforced cardboard packaging. Shipping will be insured and include a tracking number (UPS DPD DHL FedEx) Shipping will also include transit insurance for the final value of the work, with a full refund in the event of loss or damage, at no cost to the buyer. (*) Giclée is a term referring to a type of high-quality fine art printing, created digitally using inkjet printers. This process uses pigment-based inks and specialized papers to achieve great sharpness, color accuracy, and durability, making it ideal for art and photographic reproductions. (**) Keith Haring was born in 1958 in Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. He grew up in Kutztown and showed a strong interest in art from an early age. He studied graphic design at The Ivy School of Professional Art in Pittsburgh, and at the age of 19, having already openly declared himself gay, he moved to New York, where he found inspiration in graffiti art and enrolled at the School of Visual Arts. There, he was influenced by Keith Sonnler and Joseph Kossuth, who encouraged him to train as a conceptual artist after experimenting with form and color. Haring attracted public attention in 1980, when he began drawing cartoon-like images with a marker in the subway stations of the Big Apple. He later used white chalk to draw comic strips on the black advertising panels, which earned him more than one arrest. His clean lines, vivid colors, and active figures conveyed powerful messages about life and unity, and his exhibitions were photographed by Tseng Kwong Chi. Around this time, he also organized an exhibition at Club 57 and took part in a show in Times Square, where he drew animals and human faces for the first time. His first solo exhibition was at Tony Shafrazy Gallery in 1981, the same year he took part in Documenta 7 in Kassel, Germany. In 1982, he befriended emerging artists of the time, such as Kenny Sharf, Madonna, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and even met the famous Andy Warhol. In 1984, Haring went to Australia and painted several murals in Melbourne and Sydney, and even received payment for his work from the National Gallery of Victoria and the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art. He also visited and painted in Rio de Janeiro, at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, in Minneapolis, and in Manhattan. During this period, he even designed a pink jacket that Madonna wore while performing her song “Like a Virgin” on the program “Solid Gold.” In 1985, the Museum of Modern Art in Bordeaux held an exhibition of his work, and he also took part in the Paris Biennale. In November of that year, he appeared on MTV, painting on a program hosted by his friend Nick Rhodes of the band Duran Duran. In 1986, he painted murals in Amsterdam, Paris, Phoenix, and Berlin. He also painted Grace Jones’s body for her music video for the song “I’m Not Perfect” and opened a shop to sell his work in SoHo. By then, his works had begun to reflect the sociopolitical issues of the time, such as anti-apartheid, AIDS, and drugs. He also created pop art pieces for brands such as Absolut Vodka, Lucky Strike, and Coca-Cola, and even designed the cover of the charity album “A Very Special Christmas,” which included his friend Madonna. In 1988, he was included on a select list of artists whose work appeared on the labels of Château Mouton Rothschild wines. That same year, he was diagnosed with AIDS, and the following year he established the Keith Haring Foundation, whose aim was to fight social issues related to the disease and to promote the artist’s work through exhibitions, publications, and licensing his work. In June 1989, he painted his last public work on a wall of the convent of the Church of Sant’Antonio in Pisa. The work was titled “Tuttomondo.” Keith Haring died of AIDS on February 16, 1990, at the young age of 32. (**) Epic in scale and ambition, Tree of Life (1985) was created at the height of Keith Haring’s tragically short but intensely dynamic life and career. Standing more than three and a half meters tall, Tree of Life takes on almost biblical proportions in its depiction of this fantastical scene. A fusion of punk and pop, Haring injects contemporary energy into this decidedly urban celebration, blending established religious themes and historical references to traditional art with his distinctive modern street-art culture. Emanating from the twisting branches, a wealth of life bursts forth in the form of dancing bodies, like an explosion of knowledge. Beneath the tree, four fully formed, spotted yellow figures stand in exaltation. With an economy of line, the green branches, bright as daylight, seem to vibrate against the fuchsia in a carnival of rhythmic patterns. “Look, when I paint, it’s an experience that, at its best, transcends reality,” Haring said, explaining that this dimension was also reflected in his state of mind as he worked. “When it works, you’re transported somewhere else, you connect with things that are totally universal, of total consciousness, completely beyond your ego and your own being. That’s what it’s all about” (K. Haring, quoted in D. Sheff, “Keith Haring: An Intimate Conversation,” in Rolling Stone, August 1989, reproduced at www.haring.com [accessed May 25, 2014]). “Tree of Life” has been exhibited at the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst in Aachen, the Museum für Neue Kunst in Karlsruhe, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Milan Triennale in Milan, and Dexia Banque Internationale in Luxembourg.

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