Beschreibung:

Keith Haring Andy Mouse August 11, 1985 Acrylic on canvas. 48 1/8 x 48 1/8 in. (122.2 x 122.2 cm). Signed and dated “K. Haring AUG. 11 – 1985” on the overlap.
Provenance Private collection, New York; Doris Ammann, Zurich; Martos Gallery, New York Exhibited New York, Kagan Martos Gallery, Keith Haring 2003; New York, Alona Kagan Gallery, Keith Haring August 15 - September 4, 2006; Milan, Fondazione Triennale di Milano, The Keith Haring Show, September 27, 2005 - January 29, 2006; Lyon, Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, Keith Haring February 22 - June 29, 2008; Paris, Galerie Laurent Strouk, Keith Haring Painting, Sculpture and Drawing, March - May, 2008; New York, Tony Shafrazi Gallery, Keith Haring 20th Anniversary, February 13 - April 27, 2010 Literature G. Mercurio and D. Paparoni, The Keith Haring Show, Milan, 2005, p. 242 (illustrated); G. Mercurio, Keith Haring Lyon, 2008 (illustrated); J. Deitch and J. Gruen, Keith Haring New York, 2008, p. 318; J. Gruen, Keith Haring all-over, Milan, 2009, p.197 (illustrated) Catalogue Essay What do you think was the basis of your friendship with Warhol? Andy always had young people around him at all points of his life. Fresh blood with fresh ideas. It was good for him to be around, and for us it was good because it was giving us this whole seal of approval - the ultimate approval you could get was from Andy. Everyone looked up to him. He was the only figure that represented any real forerunner of the attitude about making art in a more public way and dealing with art as part of the real world. Even when we became friends, I was always still sort of in awe of him. (Keith Haring in D. Sheff, “Keith Haring, An Intimate Conversation,” Rolling Stone, August 10, 1989) Keith Haring’s series Andy Mouse was created in 1985. It is the ultimate fusion of art and commerce. The character Andy Mouse pays homage to Haring’s beloved friend, hero and mentor, Andy Warhol The pair first met each other in 1985, after Haring’s second exhibition in New York at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in 1984. Warhol and Haring were both enthralled and inspired by Walt Disney and the idea that “Art (is) for everybody.” The duo became close friends almost immediately; in fact, Haring regularly visited Warhol at The Factory and they would trade works with each other. Haring regarded Andy Warhol and Walt Disney as his heroes; his playful Andy Mouse linked the imagery of these two muses. In an interview published in the Columbia Art Review Haring explained that “It’s (Andy Mouse) treating Warhol like he was part of American culture, like Mickey Mouse was.” This large-scale painting is reminiscent of Haring’s wall drawings and subway posters. Andy Mouse cleverly merges two very different symbols ofcommerce: Mickey Mouse and Andy Warhol and the result is incomparable. Read More Artist Bio Keith Haring American • 1958 - 1990 Haring's art and life typified youthful exuberance and fearlessness. While seemingly playful and transparent, Haring dealt with weighty subjects such as death, sex and war, enabling subtle and multiple interpretations. Throughout his tragically brief career, Haring refined a visual language of symbols, which he called icons, the origins of which began with his trademark linear style scrawled in white chalk on the black unused advertising spaces in subway stations. Haring developed and disseminated these icons far and wide, in his vibrant and dynamic style, from public murals and paintings to t-shirts and Swatch watches. His art bridged high and low, erasing the distinctions between rarefied art, political activism and popular culture. View More Works