Keith Haring Untitled (White) (1987) For Sale

Untitled is a lithograph created by the artist in 1987. A visual cacophony of monsters, people and animals, it is a finely detailed print that manages to look simultaneously ancient and urban. Haring made two versions of this work, one in black and one white on a black background. 

With Haring’s beginnings as a street artist – he brandished the subways with his drawings in chalk – the artist is often recognised for an easily readable iconography for a public audience. Yet in the mid-eighties, the artist would branch out into much more visually complex works, of which this monochrome print is a superb example. Negative space is contrasted with noisy spots, swirls and shapes. The influence of graffiti is also unmistakeable, as weighty alphabetic characters emerge across the sheet. In 1982, Haring met Angel Oritz (known as LA II), a Puerto Rican graffiti artist with whom he collaborated. Oritz even worked as an assistant for Haring, and here the impact of his style is seen.  

The dynamism and jarring nature of Untitled makes it difficult to discern a narrative, a choice that Haring embraces: instead we appreciate the beautiful chaos of Haring’s wide-ranging influences – Chinese calligraphy, graffiti, Aboriginal art, cartoons – and his ability to transfer them from his inner world to paper.