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Artworks
Keith Haring
Pop Shop VI , 1989Screenprint in colours on wove paper41.9 x 34.3 cmEdition of 200Numbered from an edition of 200 in pencil on the estate stamp verso, ink-stamped certificate of authenticity, signed in pencil by Juli Gruen; the executor of the Keith Haring Estate verso.Copyright The ArtistKeith Haring’s Pop Shop series is a joyful, energetic celebration of his belief that art should be for everyone. Created between 1987 and 1990, these vibrant prints reflect the spirit of Haring’s iconic Pop Shop. Pop Shop was a shop he opened in downtown Manhattan in 1986 to make his art accessible to all. A project that was praised by Andy Warhol.
“My shop is an extension of what I was doing in the subway stations, breaking down the barriers between high and low art,” Keith Haring
The Pop Shop was more than just a shop; it was an extension of Haring’s artistic vision. It sold t-shirts, badges, jewellery and magnets featuring his unmistakable designs, sometimes for as little as 50 cents. Whether aimed at kids or seasoned collectors, the idea was simple: art should be enjoyed by everyone.
“I could earn more money if I just painted a few things and jacked up the price,” Haring once remarked, “but that’s not what I’m about.”
“I could earn more money if I just painted a few things and jacked up the price,” Haring once remarked, “but that’s not what I’m about.”
This ethos carries through in the Pop Shop prints. Featuring bold blocks of colour, thick black outlines and Haring’s signature simplified figures, the works radiate with joy, humour and a universal energy. Figures dance, spring upwards, conjoin and twist in fantastical positions, often with action lines that suggest movement and vitality.
Pop Shop VI contains Haring’s one of signature motifs, the dancing man. Instantly recognisable, the work is a superlative example from the Street Artist. Haring has depicted the five dancing men, together making the shape of a hand. The work therefore is not only a joyous celebration of life, but a symbol of unity and togetherness. These motifs were developed during Haring’s early days of drawing on the empty advertising panels of New York’s subways in the early 1980s and became symbols of his larger goal: to create a visual vocabulary that could speak to people of all ages, backgrounds and cultures.
Haring’s aim was to inspire joy and connection rather than exclusivity. As Haring once explained, the Pop Shop wasn’t about chasing collectors; it was about sharing art.
The legacy of the Pop Shop lives on in these prints. They are artworks that encapsulate the essence of Keith Haring and Street Art: inclusive, optimistic and powerfully original.
Literature
Klaus Littman. Keith Haring: Editions on Paper 1982-1990, The Complete Printed Works. Hatje Cantz Publishers: New York, 1993.
Publications
Klaus Littman. Keith Haring: Editions on Paper 1982-1990, The Complete Printed Works. Hatje Cantz Publishers: New York, 1993.
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