Keith Haring
Self-Portrait as Sphinx
1985
Silkscreen print / Monochrome art print on art paper with frayed (irregular) edges.
15 × 15 cm
Ed. /1985
Location: Paris, France
Arianee token ID
771538597
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About the artwork
Produced in October 1985, the composition features a central figurative portrait rendered in thick black ink framed by a bold red border, presented on a small sheet of handmade art paper with deckled edges. The subject wears round spectacles and is depicted with stylized facial features and a truncated torso resting against a dark background, accompanied by the signature and date along the right margin. Created during a period associated with the New York nightclub scene, this item was reportedly distributed as a promotional piece or invitation for a private event at the Palladium club. The physical attributes, including the heavy ink application and irregular paper margins, align with ephemera produced for limited distribution among attendees and collaborators of the venue's opening events.
Expert opinion
Printed matter and ephemeral items from the mid-1980s occupy a distinct category within the artist's output, bridging commercial design, event promotion, and fine art printmaking. While major editions and unique works command higher institutional and market value, these smaller items document the integration of visual art with nightlife and urban culture during the period.
About the artist
Keith Haring (1958-1990) was one of the leading figures of New York urban art in the 1980s. After studying at the School of Visual Arts in New York, he made a name for himself by spontaneously drawing with white chalk on black subway billboards. His playful, immediate and engaging style soon met with great success. His work is deeply influenced by graffiti, comics and street culture, but also by strong political themes: the fight against racism, the prevention of AIDS (from which he died in 1990), and the denunciation of social injustice.
Haring firmly believed in the accessibility of art: he opened his Pop Shop in 1986 to make his works affordable, while continuing to produce monumental public works around the world. His works have been exhibited many times, notably in New York in 1982 and in 2013 at the Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris.
Additional info
Signed
Dated
3x
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