Keith Haring’s Dog, 1985, is one of the artist’s most iconic and enduring images, encapsulating his instantly recognizable visual language of bold lines, simplified forms, and radiant energy. Executed at the height of his career in the mid-1980s, the work reflects Haring’s fascination with universal symbols that could communicate across cultures, languages, and generations.

The barking dog motif, with its electric lines of motion and sound, embodies both playfulness and defiance—qualities central to Haring’s art and his engagement with the social and cultural landscape of his time.

Like many of his best works, Dog blurs the line between high art and street art, drawing from his roots in New York’s subway graffiti and transforming those raw, public expressions into gallery-worthy masterpieces. The figure of the dog became one of Haring’s most sought-after recurring icons, symbolizing everything from loyalty and protection to rebellion and resistance, depending on context. Collectors and admirers prize this image not only for its graphic clarity but for its timeless vitality, which continues to resonate as a cultural emblem decades after its creation. Keith Haring, Dog, 1985 stands as a testament to the artist’s genius for distilling complex ideas into simple yet powerful forms, making it one of the most celebrated motifs in his oeuvre.

Created in 1985, Keith Haring Dog, is hand-signed by Keith Haring (Reading, 1958 – New York, 1990) in pencil in the lower right and numbered from the edition of 40.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Keith Haring Dog, 1985 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the sale of the work).

1. Littmann, Klaus. Keith Haring: Editions on Paper 1982-1990 (The Complete Printed Works). Germany: Hatje Cantz Publishers, 1993. Listed and illustrated on pgs. 48-49.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany our Keith Haring’s Dog, 1985.

About the Framing:

Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Keith Haring Dog, 1985 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.

HOW DO I BUY A KEITH HARING DOG 1985?
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