Keith Haring's Personal Collection Is Being Auctioned for Charity

NEWS | October 12, 2020

Screenshot of the web documentary series Keith Haring, The Message directed by Maripol, presented by Morgane and Darjeeling in collaboration with Arte Creative and Dailymotion.

With its profits pledged to organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community, this out-of-the-ordinary auction is a continuation of Haring's political engagement.

Keith Haring is one of the most iconic artists of the 80's underground scene, where he rubbed shoulders with plenty of other art-world mainstays. Famous for his colorful graffiti and committed to the democratization of art, over the years he also came to possess a stunning collection of works from this exhilarating era. For the first time, one hundred and forty of them will be sold at virtual auction by the Keith Haring Foundation, before being displayed to the public at the Sotheby's gallery in New York two days later.

The artworks, all purchased by or gifted to Haring, include a small painting on aluminum by Jean-Michel Basquiat, a Roy Lichtenstein print, and even a drawing by George Condo. Estimated somewhere between one hundred and two hundred fifty thousand dollars, the collection also includes works by other well-known street artists: past roommate Kenny Scharf, Rammellzee, Lady Pink, and Lee Quiñones. The highest-valued work is a portrait of Haring and his boyfriend Juan Dubose, signed by none other than Andy Warhol.

All benefits, expected to land somewhere around a million dollars, will be pledged to New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, often simply called The Center. The gift is a continuation of Haring's political commitments. Openly gay, he passed away at 31 from AIDS after years of struggle against homophobia and in favor of better care and prevention for communities affected by the AIDS epidemic. For Gil Vazquez, director of the Keith Haring Foundation, "the Center embodies so much of what Keith was about: community, empowerment, and the support of our future, the youth. We feel confident that this gift during this time for this purpose is the right thing."  