King Kong For A Day
King Kong For A Day
Signed Mixed Media
Keith Haring
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Medium: Mixed Media
Year: 1989
Size: H 37cm x W 25cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Mixed Media
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2004 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| January 2001 | Christie's New York | United States | |||
| June 1999 | Christie's New York | United States |
Meaning & Analysis
Printed in 1989, King Kong For A Day is a signed Gelatin silver print by Keith Haring. The print depicts Haring himself standing in front of a poster advertising the Empire State Observatory. Haring jokes as he mimics the pose in the poster of a man standing on top of the Empire State Building, like King Kong did in the epic adventure romance film King Kong (1933). In the background, large prints from Haring’s Free South Africa series can be seen.
This photograph captures Haring in New York, the city in which Haring developed his artistic career and rose to fame. Born in Pennsylvania in 1958, Haring moved to New York in 1978 after dropping out of a commercial art school. Haring’s art was strongly influenced by his time at the School of Visual Arts in New York where he learned about semiotics from Joseph Kosuth, as well as the artists, musicians and graffiti artists that he encountered while living in the bustling city. It was in fact the New York subway where Haring really developed his artistic practice, experimenting with simple lines, which have become emblematic of his unique style.
King Kong For A Day differs from other Haring prints as it is a photograph. The image nevertheless captures Haring’s rise to fame. By the mid-80s he was exhibiting his work at international biennials, designed a billboard for Times Square and an advertising campaign for Absolut Vodka. This photograph was taken in 1989, a year before Haring sadly died.
Keith Haring was a luminary of the 1980s downtown New York scene. His distinctive visual language pioneered one-line Pop Art drawings and he has been famed for his colourful, playful imagery. Haring's iconic energetic motifs and figures were dedicated to influencing social change, and particularly challenging stigma around the AIDS epidemic. Haring also pushed for the accessibility of art by opening Pop Shops in New York and Japan, selling a range of ephemera starting from as little as 50 cents. Haring's legacy has been cemented in the art-activism scene and is a testament to power of art to inspire social change