Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Keith Haring
Keith Haring Nuclear Disarmament poster 1982

1982

About the Item

Keith Haring Nuclear Disarmament poster 1982: In 1982 Keith Haring created this poster for Nuclear Disarmament, which features his signature Radiant Baby in a mushroom cloud. This historical work marks Haring's first poster and helped engineer his focus on social activism. On June 2, 1982 Haring transported the stack of posters in a handcart to New York's Central Park, to what was the largest demonstration to date against nuclear weapons & the 1980s global arms race. There were approximately one million protesters and Haring gave his posters away for free (source: Keith Haring: Posters Prestel pub.). A rare example presented here in fine condition. “Babies represent the possibility of the future,” Haring said, “the understanding of perfection, how perfect we could be. There is nothing negative about a baby, ever … The reason that the “baby” has become my logo or signature is that it is the purest and most positive experience of human existence.” A rare example presented here in fine condition. Medium: Offset-lithograph. 1982. Dimensions: 24 x 18 inches (61.27 x 45.72 cm). Good overall vintage condition; minor signs of handling. A fine impression. Printed signature on lower right; from an edition of unknown; published & distributed by the artist; scarce. Obtained from a highly reputable NY private collection. Catalog Raisonne: Keith Haring: Posters (Doring & Von Der Osten) entry 1, p. 106. References: Included in the essay, The Radiant Christ Child, by Natalie E. Phillips. Keith Haring (American, 1958–1990), a Neo-Pop and Graffiti artist, had a short but prolific career centered on a vision to unite “high art,” urban aesthetics, and public spaces using humorous, irreverent, and poignant works. Born in Pennsylvania, Haring attended the Ivy School of Art in Pittsburgh for two years, planning to become a commercial artist. He found this path unsatisfying, and instead chose to study at the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he met fellow artists Jean Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf. Haring immersed himself in the culture of the city’s streets and clubs, and, in 1980, began covering the blank billboards on subway station walls with his Subway drawings in chalk. Haring’s bold public art attracted the attention of several galleries, and, by the early 1980s, he was painting Neo-Pop works and large murals full time. In an effort to make his art widely accessible, Haring opened the Pop Shop in 1986 in downtown New York, selling commercial items adorned with his signature, cartoonish imagery. Haring combined graffiti, hip-hop, and urban aesthetics, frequently depicting animals, figures, commercial icons, sexual imagery, and childlike motifs in pieces that were both playful and concerned with social issues. His work became increasingly confrontational following his 1987 diagnosis of AIDS. Haring resolved to work harder than ever in his remaining years, creating pieces with a fervent speed and devoting his art to social action in addition to his personal expression. In 1989, he established the Keith Haring Foundation, whose goal is to promote art programs and public spaces for children, and to raise awareness about AIDS. He died on February 16, 1990 in New York at the age of 31. In addition to hundreds of exhibitions held during his lifetime, Haring has been the subject of numerous retrospectives in New York, San Francisco, Paris, Tokyo, and Berlin since his death. Related Categories: Keith Haring figurative drawings. Anti-war. Keith Haring prints. 1980s. Vintage Keith Haring. Protest posters. War.
  • Creator:
    Keith Haring (1958-1990, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1982
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    NEW YORK, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU354315985642

More From This Seller

View All
Keith Haring Into 84 (set of 2 Haring Shafrazi announcements)
By Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
'Keith Haring Painted Man'/Keith Haring Into 84: A set of 2 announcement cards for Keith Haring’s well-documented exhibition, 'Into 84' at Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York, 1983. For this series Haring borrowed Jones' body — from head to toe — as the canvas to his work. A bodily canvas defined by much of the bold pictograms characteristic of Haring's artistic signature. Photos by Haring's long-time friend and collaborator Tseng Kwong Chi. Looks fantastic framed as a set. Off-set printed gallery announcements, 1983. Dimensions: 6 x 4 inches (applies to each individual). Good overall condition with well-preserved colors. Some surface creating to red card. Unsigned from an edition of unknown. Further About: In 1983 Keith Haring teamed up with award-winning choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones, founder of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. Keith and Bill met in London in 1983 at a time when the graffiti artist was opening a major show at the Robert Fraser Gallery, and together they produced a series of exceptional collaborations in both performance and drawing. Keith Haring was an American artist and social activist known for his illustrative depictions of figures and symbols. His white chalk drawings could often been found on the blank poster marquees in New York’s public spaces and subways. “I don't think art is propaganda,” he once stated. “It should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It celebrates humanity instead of manipulating it.” Born on May 4, 1958 in Reading, PA, he grew up in neighboring Kutztown, where he was inspired to draw from an early age by Walt Disney cartoons and his father who was an amateur cartoonist. After briefly studying commercial art in Pittsburgh, Haring came across a show of the works of Pierre Alechinksy and decided to pursue a career in fine art instead. He moved to New York in the late 1970s to attend the School of Visual Arts, and soon immersed himself in the city’s graffiti culture. By the mid-1980s, he had befriended fellow artists Andy Warhol, Kenny Scharf, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and collaborated with celebrities like the singer Grace Jones. Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1988, Haring’s prodigious career was brief, and he died of AIDS-related complications on February 16, 1990 at the age of 31. Before his death, Haring established the Keith Haring Foundation, a non-profit committed to raising awareness of the illness through art programing and community outreach. Throughout his career, Haring made his art widely available through the location of his murals, as well as through the Pop Shop—Haring's own storefront which he used to sell his memorabilia.The artist’s mural Crack is Wack (1986), can still be seen today on a retaining wall along FDR Drive in Manhattan. Haring’s works can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Related Categories Modern Dance. Ballet. Keith Haring Figurative Drawings. Keith Haring Into 84 poster. Keith Haring and Tony Shafrazi. Haring Shafrazi.
Category

1980s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Offset, Lithograph

Keith Haring Resist in Concert! poster 1988 (Keith Haring Activist)
By Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Keith Haring Resist in Concert! 1988: Vintage Keith Haring illustrated 1988 poster for a Refuse and Resist produced concert December 4, 1988 at New York'...
Category

1980s Pop Art Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Keith Haring Safe Sex! (Vintage Keith Haring 1987)
By Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Original 1987 Keith Haring Safe Sex poster: Illustrated by Keith Haring in conjunction with his many Aids Awareness efforts. A historical ...
Category

1980s Pop Art Nude Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Keith Haring Run Dmc Adidas 1986 poster (vintage Keith Haring)
By (after) Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Keith Haring Run DMC Adidas Poster 1986: Rare original Keith Haring illustrated Run DMC promotional poster published in collaboration with Adidas and Kei...
Category

1980s Pop Art Prints and Multiples

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Futura New York 1988 announcement (Futura 2000 graffiti artist)
By Futura
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Futura NYC 1988: A rare 1980s Futura 2000 illustrated & designed announcement card published on the occasion of: "Observations of an Underground Civilization" at 51X Gallery from Ma...
Category

1980s Pop Art More Art

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

Vintage Keith Haring exhibition poster (Keith Haring San Francisco 1998)
By (after) Keith Haring
Located in NEW YORK, NY
Vintage Keith Haring exhibition poster: Vintage original Exhibition poster for Keith Haring at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, May 0...
Category

1990s Pop Art Abstract Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset

You May Also Like

TAKASHI MURAKAMI: We Are Destined To Meet Someday! Superflat, Japanese Pop Art
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
WE ARE DESTINED TO MEET SOMEDAY! BUT FOR NOW, WE WANDER IN DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS Date of creation: 2017 Medium: Offset lithograph with cold stamp on paper Edition: 300 Size: 68 x 68 c...
Category

2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Varnish, Lithograph, Offset

TAKASHI MURAKAMI: Chaos: Primordial Life - Superflat, Japanese Pop Art
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
CHAOS: PRIMORDIAL LIFE Date of creation: 2017 Medium: Offset lithograph with cold stamp on paper Edition: 300 Size: 68 x 68 cm Condition: In mint conditions, brand new and never fram...
Category

2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Varnish, Lithograph, Offset, Paper

HOMAGE TO FRANCIS BACON: STUDY FOR HEAD OF ISABEL RAWSTHORNE Gold Superflat Pop
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Takashi Murakami HOMAGE TO FRANCIS BACON: STUDY FOR HEAD OF ISABEL RAWSTHORNE Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Offset lithograph with cold foil stamp on paper Edition: 300 Size: 50 x ...
Category

2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset, Paper

TAKASHI MURAKAMI: Enso The Heart - Hand signed & numbered Superflat, Pop Art
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
ENSÕ - THE HEART Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Offset lithograph with cold stamp and high gloss varnish on paper Edition number: 150/300 Size: 68 x 68 cm Observations: Offset lithog...
Category

2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Varnish, Lithograph, Offset

HOMAGE TO FRANCIS BACON: STUDY FOR HEAD OF GEORGE DYER Gold Superflat Japan Pop
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
Takashi Murakami HOMAGE TO FRANCIS BACON: STUDY FOR HEAD OF GEORGE DYER Date of creation: 2016 Medium: Offset lithograph with cold foil stamp on paper Edition: 300 Size: 50 x 50 cm ...
Category

2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Offset, Paper

TAKASHI MURAKAMI: With eyes on... Hand signed & numbered. Superflat, Pop Art
By Takashi Murakami
Located in Madrid, Madrid
With eyes on the reality of one hundred years from now Date of creation: 2013 Medium: Offset lithograph with silver on paper Edition: 300 Size: 50 x 50 cm Observations: Offset lithog...
Category

2010s Pop Art Figurative Prints

Materials

Varnish, Lithograph, Offset

Recently Viewed

View All