Sotheby's to Auction Over 140 Works From Keith Haring's Personal Collection
All of the proceeds from the auction will benefit The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York.
The legacy of Keith Haring lives on in Sotheby’s momentous upcoming sale of the late pop artist’s personal collection. Titled “Dear Keith,” the auction will feature over 140 pieces spanning paintings, archival photography and unseen ephemera. The sale will also include items gifted to the artist by his close friends and ’80s art icons such as Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf. All of the objects on offer were from the Keith Haring Foundation — an organization founded by the artist before his death in 1990 from HIV/AIDS-related causes.
One of the highlights of the sale is an Untitled portrait of Haring with Juan DuBose valued at around $200-250,000 USD. DuBose was a prolific DJ throughout the ’80s as well as Haring’s partner and lover who passed away due to HIV/AIDS in 1988. Moreover, an unseen painting by Basquiat, estimated to sell for over $100,000 USD, is another notable work. The sale also features a rare grouping of early drawings and paintings by George Condo in the 1980s including a work on paper, worth over $12,000 USD, that contains the inscription: “For Keith in Paris, so it is once before a bum I am.”
A majority of the pieces were made by artists associated with Club 57 – the iconic night club located in a church basement in New York’s East Village that is considered to be the cornerstone of the city’s countercultural movement. Works by notable Club 57-affiliated artists such as Tseng Kwong Chi, Stefano Castronovo, Samantha McEwen, among others are spotlighted in the auction.
All of the proceeds from the auction will benefit The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York. “The organization that empowers the queer community of New York to lead healthy, successful lives; celebrates the community’s diversity and advocates for justice and opportunity,” as per a statement.
Sotheby’s will launch its “Dear Keith” online auction open for bidding through September 24 to October 1.
In other art stories, Banksy funded a 31-meter rescue boat that saved the lives of 89 refugees earlier this week.
