Acrobats
24 x 15 ⅝ x 15 ⅝ inchesAcrobats, 1986
24 x 15 ⅝ x 15 ⅝ inches
Edition of 10, plus 2 artist's proofs
incised with the artist's signature, dated, numbered and foundry mark 'K Haring 1986 acf’
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by the Estate of Keith Haring.
Provenance
Deitch Projects, New York
Acquired from the above, 2005
Private Collection, New York
Literature
E. Chapulie, ed., Keith Haring: l'art à la plage, Turin, 2005, page 39, another example reproduced.
London, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Keith Haring: Sculpture, Paintings and Works on Paper, 2005, pp. 17, 54, 57, another example reproduced.
Fondazione Triennale di Milano, The Keith Haring Show, 2006, no. 219, p. 366, another example reproduced.
Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, Keith Haring, 2008, no. 200, p. 324, another example reproduced.
Exhibited
London, Ben Brown Fine Arts, Keith Haring: Sculpture, Paintings and Works on Paper, June-August, 2005, pp. 17, 54, 57, another example exhibited.
Fondazione Triennale di Milano, The Keith Haring Show, September, 2005-January, 2006, no. 219, p. 366, another example exhibited.
Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon, Keith Haring, February-June, 2008, no. 200, p. 324, another example exhibited.
Tokyo, Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Museum of Art, Global New Art, July-August 2011, another example exhibited.
Tokyo, Spiral Garden, Die Tanzende Bilder, August-September 2013, another example exhibited.
Matsumoto City Museum of Art, TAG-TEN, July-September 2014, another example exhibited.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, A Walk Around the Contemporary Art World After Paradigm Shift, February-May 2015, another example exhibited.
Additional Photos
Alternate view
Alternate view
Alternate view
Alternate view
Keith Haring’s Acrobats, from 1986, stands as a jubilant sculpture with lively, dancing acrobatic figures in structural harmony. Haring’s firm belief that “the contemporary artist has a responsibility to continue celebrating humanity” transformed this work from a mere representation of his creative genius and technical prowess to a lasting emblem of his ability to introduce bright, inspiring imagery. It became a key voice in the fight against the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and beyond.
KEITH HARING SCULPTURE
“Sculpture has a kind of power that a painting doesn’t have. You can’t burn it. It would survive a nuclear blast probably. It has this permanent, real feeling that will exist much, much longer than I will ever exist, so it’s a kind of immortality. All of it, I guess, to a degree, is like that… All of the things that you make are a kind of quest for immortality.” (K. Haring, quoted in Flash Art, March 1984, p. 22)
Keith Haring’s Acrobats, from 1986, stands as a jubilant sculpture with lively, dancing acrobatic figures in structural harmony. Haring’s firm belief that “the contemporary artist has a responsibility to continue celebrating humanity” transformed this work from a mere representation of his creative genius and technical prowess to a lasting emblem of his ability to introduce bright, inspiring imagery. It became a key voice in the fight against the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and beyond.
Haring’s encounter with dance was a significant influence on his work in the 1980s New York scene. Dance played a large role in his life and artistic production. His first incorporation of dance into his work came in 1978, when he made Video Clones, a video of modern dancer Molissa Fenley, focusing solely on her foot movements. He also explored the theme of dance in early drawings and paintings, such as his 1982 work Subway Drawing Electric Boogie Dancer. At times, Haring used his friend Bill T. Jones, an accomplished dancer, as his reference to show movement in his works.
Haring’s venture into sculpture came relatively late in his meteoric career. In 1985, prompted by the gallerist Tony Shafrazi, who suggested, “Put your alphabet in the landscape, out there in the real world,” he produced a series of free-standing, brightly colored figures that children were encouraged to play on, giving the installation “the atmosphere of a wild playground” (T. Shafrazi, quoted in Keith Haring: Sculptures, Paintings and Works on Paper, exh. cat., Ben Brown Fine Arts, London, 2005, p. 22). Haring’s sculptures made during the 1980s also incorporated elements of dance, with some portraying moves of the time, like the electric slide and the spider move.
Acrobats consists of two enamel-coated aluminum figures, one blue and one orange, attached to a single base. Stacked head-on-head, their poses appear to mirror each other, yet, upon closer inspection, they differ in subtle ways. The sculpture revolves around a sense of suspense and balance, using bold, complementary colors and two interlocking vertical and perpendicular planes to create a dynamic internal energy. Typical of Haring’s sculptures, the transformation of flat forms into three-dimensional structures reveals an altered set of priorities and principles. The influence of Matisse is evident in Acrobats, with a clear interrelation of form and color that is conceptually and spatially more complex than in Haring’s paintings and drawings. The clean-cut edges and use of enamel metal create a machine-like aesthetic, reminiscent of Léger or even Minimalist sculptor Donald Judd.
designed by Georgis & Mirgorodsky
The interplay between the two-dimensionality and three-dimensionality of the Acrobats> prevents it from having the stiff, static aspects of traditional sculpture, instead celebrating vibrant colors and playful, memorable geometries. The medium, radically different from his paintings and early chalk drawings, adds a further layer of reality to his work. The fabricated sculptures, employing recognizable human forms, capture an essence of inner life—concerned with stress, repose, substance and void, balance, arrested motion, and the tension between horizontal and vertical thrust.
Acrobats also carries an added meaning of empathy, perseverance, and defiance. The AIDS epidemic deeply impacted the New York art scene of the 1980s, with many artists personally affected by the disease. As an openly gay artist addressing socio-political issues, Haring viewed the fight for AIDS research and treatment as a cause close to his heart—he was diagnosed with the disease in 1988. This work can be seen as a monument with socio-political undertones underlying its playful visual appearance. Rather than lamenting the AIDS epidemic, it celebrates Haring’s life and the passion of his New York circle. Haring’s decision to create many of his public works in spaces frequented by children, such as at the Necker Children’s Hospital in Paris, the San Antonio Church in Pisa, and the Carmine Street Swimming Pool in New York, underscores his commitment to fostering a dialogue with younger generations.
Haring’s distinct style and broader commentary earned him respect as one of the most influential artists of his time. He aimed to speak to his generation through his art, creating a new language that would inspire action. Haring’s sculptures owe much to the graphic lines of his paintings and drawings, but also to his interest in public art, performance, hip-hop culture, and sculptors like Alexander Calder. Acrobats preserves that purity of line and the spontaneous, childlike freshness, united with a highly formalized sense of design, much like Calder’s work. As Haring once said, “Art should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination, and encourages people to go further” (K. Haring, quoted in J. Deitch, J. Gruen, Keith Haring, New York, 2008, p. 19).
#KeithHaring interlocking Acrobats #sculpture sells for $308,864USD @phillipsauction December 4, 2024. https://t.co/MPouJCjmIL pic.twitter.com/zCFHIki8kq
— Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. (@JKLFA) December 10, 2024