Keith Haring’s Ludo (Plate 1) introduces the portfolio with a bold and playful reimagining of the classic board game’s structure. Against a vibrant field of color, Haring transforms the orderly geometry of the game into a pulsating composition alive with movement and energy. The square grid, usually static and rule-bound, becomes animated under Haring’s hand—his iconic figures leap, twist, and interact across the surface, suggesting that even in games of chance and order, human energy and connection bring true vitality.

Haring’s use of thick black lines anchors the composition, while his saturated colors imbue it with an intensity that feels both childlike and monumental. What might otherwise be a mere reference to play is elevated into a metaphor for life’s unpredictability, where rules provide structure but joy, spontaneity, and connection give meaning. The radiating marks surrounding his figures—so central to Haring’s visual vocabulary—convey an almost electric vitality, as if the very act of play is charged with life force.

Keith Haring, Ludo Suite Portfolio, 1985
Keith Haring’s Ludo Suite (1985) is a dynamic portfolio of five screenprints that brilliantly merges the energy of play with the artist’s unmistakable visual language. Inspired by the classic board game Ludo, Haring transforms the familiar forms of dice, playing pieces, and game structures into bold, graphic compositions alive with his signature dancing figures and radiant lines. The suite reflects Haring’s lifelong fascination with games, symbols, and shared cultural touchstones—recasting them into universal metaphors for joy, struggle, chance, and connection.
Across the five works, Haring fuses vibrant primary colors with his iconic black outlines, creating an aesthetic both instantly accessible and profoundly symbolic. Each print feels like a self-contained celebration of movement and interaction, yet together the suite resonates like a choreography of human experience: the push and pull of competition, the randomness of fate, and the unity that comes from shared participation.
Produced in the mid-1980s—at the height of Haring’s career and international acclaim—the Ludo Suite captures his ability to elevate the ordinary into something monumental. Just as the game of Ludo brings people together across cultures and generations, these works embody Haring’s mission of art as a universal language: playful, powerful, and deeply human.
Today, the portfolio is recognized as one of Haring’s most joyful and inventive series, reflecting not only his mastery of screenprinting but also his gift for transforming simple imagery into lasting symbols of collective spirit.

Keith Haring Ludo 1
Keith Haring Ludo 2
Keith Haring Ludo 3
Keith Haring Ludo 4
Keith Haring Ludo 5

Created in 1983,  Ludo (Plate 1) is hand-signed by Keith Haring (Reading, 1958 – New York, 1990) in pencil in the bottom right margin and numbered from the edition of 80.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Keith Haring Ludo (Plate 1), 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. 45.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Keith Haring Ludo (Plate 1), 1985 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.