Pace Prints Features Keith Haring's Work In Prints And In Pop Shop

Pop shop

Pace Prints collaborated with the Keith Haring Foundation to present its first exhibition of prints and small-scale multiples by Keith Haring. The exhibition, which runs from October 14-December 3, 2011 focuses on editioned works created between 1983 and 1990. Printmaking was an essential part of Haring’s work. He believed in the inherent democracy of creating limited editions that could extend the reach of his imagery in an attainable and affordable manner. Haring was as fascinated by the process of printmaking as he was with any medium he tackled, and he worked hands-on with numerous print publishers in the USA, Europe and Japan. In the course of his 10-year career, Haring created over 60 separate and distinct editions on paper using a variety of methods including lithograph, silk-screen, etching, embossing and aquatint. Ever prolific, Haring also created small-scale multiples in aluminum, wood, concrete and terracotta, several of which are also on view. Highlights of the exhibition are works from The Blueprint Drawings, 1990, a series of 17 silk-screens based on Sumi ink drawings Keith completed in 1980-81. The imagery in these works presages the iconic language associated with Keith Haring ever after - images of a pyramid, flying saucer, dog and crawling baby are intermixed with wandering figures and human/animal/extraterrestrial activities. This intentional juxtaposition of his “icons” conjures up different meanings, relationships and narratives, taking some inspiration from the “cut up” methods of William Burroughs and Brion Gysin. 

The exhibition will also include a special Pop Shop installation. The original Pop Shop, founded by Haring in 1986, operated in downtown Manhattan for nearly 20 years. Haring viewed the store as an extension of his work, a unique venue where his imagery could be accessible to everyone. In keeping with his vision, the Pop Shop installation at Pace Prints will feature a recreation of the Pop Shop mural environment. In addition to artwork, the Pop Shop installation will feature pieces from two of the Keith Haring Foundation’s recent collaborations: Keith Haring by Nicholas Kirkwood, haute couture footwear by the shooting-star British shoe designer; and Keith Haring by Patricia Field, apparel and accessories designed by the celebrated New York stylist and fashion designer.

Keith Haring was born on May 4, 1958 in Reading, PA. In 1978, Haring moved to New York City and enrolled in the School of Visual Arts. It was here that he found a thriving alternative art community that was developing outside of the gallery and museum system, with events and exhibitions taking place in the downtown streets, subways and nightclubs. In 1990, at the age of 31, Keith Haring died of AIDS-related illnesses in New York.

Information from the Keith Haring Foundation