Keith Haring

KEITH HARING (Reading, Pennsylvania, 1958 – New York, 1990).
“American Music Festival – New York City Ballet,” 1988.
Color-printed poster on paper.
Signed in marker in the lower right corner.
Bibliography: Jürgen Döring and Claus von der Osten (eds.), Keith Haring: Posters, Prestel, cat. no. 67.
Measurements: 62 × 93 cm (frame).

Created in 1988 for the New York City Ballet’s American Music Festival, this poster is part of the prolific body of graphic work produced by Keith Haring during the final stage of his career. The composition effectively adapts his unmistakable visual language to the world of dance: schematic figures in full motion unfold across the American flag, while kinetic lines accentuate the rhythm and energy of the scene.

The use of flat, contrasting colors, thick black outlines, and the radical simplification of forms reflect the language through which Haring sought immediate and accessible communication. The poster was, in fact, one of the most suitable mediums for this desire to take art beyond traditional circles and connect it with music, dance, and popular culture. The marker signature on this copy adds interest compared to copies with only a printed signature.

Keith Haring was one of the key figures of the New York art scene in the 1980s. Emerging from the urban art scene and initially known for his drawings in the New York subway, he developed an internationally recognized artistic language that he applied to painting, printmaking, posters, and public art installations. His work is represented in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.