Keith Haring
UNTITLED, 1983
Vinyl paint on vinyl tarpaulin with metal grommets
120 x 120 in
304.8 x 304.8 cm
Signed and dated '"JANUARY 1983 K. Haring ⨁" on the reverse. Executed in 1983, this work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Estate of Keith Haring.
Available at Surovek Gallery
Keith Haring (May 4, 1958 - Feb 18, 1990) left a legacy of kindness and caring through his deeds and through his art.
He believed that art should be accessible to everyone and, to that end, he was generous with his work and with his time. Recently, a touching story about Haring and his altruism has come to light in Iowa City.
Haring traveled to Iowa City in 1984, after receiving a letter from Colleen Ernst, a teacher at Horn Elementary School. Ernst told Haring that she had introduced her students to his work and they had found it “fascinating.”
Haring and Ernst kept in touch and, with the help of the Horn School Principal and the University of Iowa, a three-day residency was arranged. Haring conducted workshops with students, did a painting at the Old Capitol Center while the County Band played and exhibited his work and spoke at the University of Iowa Museum of Art.
Ernst and Haring continued to keep in touch. The school declared May 22, 1989 Keith Haring Day and he returned to the school for the day. He painted a mural on the wall of the school library titled A Book Full of Fun, depicting an open book with whirring images coming out of a thought bubble from the book.
Haring died just nine months after completing the mural, from complications of AIDS, at the age of 31.
The mural has been cared for and admired by students and school staff since 1989. Last July, the school needed to do some renovations. With the help of the Stanley Museum and the Keith Haring Foundation, a crew was hired to move the mural (and the 4,000-pound wal) to the museum. It was be cleaned up and preserved by the museum conservators, placed on display (for its first public viewing) while the school renovations are being completed and then returned to its home in the library.
The exhibit, called To My Friends at the Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City opened on May 4, Keith Haring’s birthday and will be on view through January 7, 2025. Additional works by Haring, on loan from the Keith Haring Foundation, are included in the exhibit, along with a video called Painting Myself into a Corner, that demonstrates the performative nature of Haring’s work.
Available at Surovek Gallery is a unique, large painted tarpaulin, a woodcut and a colorful screenprint that Keith Haring created in 1988, the year before his death.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the work of Keith Haring available at Surovek Gallery.
References:
Julia Binswanger. Keith Haring Painted This Mural on the Wall of an Iowa Elementary School Library. Smithsonian Magazine. May 22, 2024.
Max Lakin. Keith Haring’s Legacy Is Not Found at the Museum. The New York Times. April 18, 2024.
Rhea Nayyar. When Keith Haring Painted a Mural for an Iowa Elementary School. Hyperallergic. April 25, 2024.
Victoria Kennedy. The Ten Best Keith Haring Quotes. Canvas/Saatchi Art. May 4, 2017.
