Keith Haring

Pop Shop VI is a portfolio of four screenprints created by the artist in 1989, serving as a standalone and expanded edition compared to Pop Shop Quad VI. Named after Haring’s Pop Shop in New York’s SoHo district, which opened in 1986, the portfolio exemplifies the fluidity and playfulness of Haring’s line and his iconic 'matchstick' figures.
In this sixth instalment of the series, Haring’s figures bend, twist, and morph into various human shapes. While his visual language—featuring motifs like UFOs, barking dogs, and radiant babies—was prevalent in his work, the Pop Shop series distils these elements into simpler, more focused compositions. In this portfolio, the matchstick figures themselves become symbols: in the first and last prints, they form a cross; in the second print, they shape a human hand; and in the third print, outstretched hands create the outline of a television set. The versatility of Haring’s figures highlights the metaphorical potential of human interaction: creating, entertaining, and dancing together.
Pop Shop Quad VI highlights Haring’s unique visual style that would see the artist become a mainstay of private collectors, auction houses, galleries and museums worldwide.