Keith Haring, Ludo (Plate 4), 1985, continues his inventive exploration of play, movement, and interconnectedness through the familiar framework of the board game. The structured grid of Ludo serves as both stage and playground for Haring’s iconic figures, who animate the surface with energy, rhythm, and joyous motion. Each figure, outlined boldly in black against vibrant fields of color, seems simultaneously constrained by the game’s rules and liberated by the exuberance of its possibilities.

This plate emphasizes the dynamic tension between order and spontaneity. Figures twist, leap, and converge across the board, suggesting interaction, competition, and collaboration. Haring’s use of radiant lines and overlapping forms creates a sense of electric vitality, transforming the static board into a lively tableau where play becomes metaphor for life itself—full of unpredictability, engagement, and the unexpected delight of shared experience.

As the fourth work in the Ludo Suite, this print deepens the series’ exploration of structure, movement, and human connection. The vibrant color palette and graphic simplicity make the imagery immediately accessible, while the underlying symbolism speaks to the universal human experience of navigating rules, chance, and communal interaction.

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 4) 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 4), 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. 47a.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Keith Haring Ludo (Plate 4), 1985 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.