Keith Haring, Ludo (Plate 5), 1985, vibrant exploration of play, movement, and human interaction in the Ludo Suite. In this final plate, Haring brings the energy of the gameboard to a crescendo, with his signature figures leaping, twisting, and engaging across the structured grid. Bold black outlines and vivid primary colors animate the composition, transforming the static geometry of the board into a dynamic tableau brimming with vitality, rhythm, and life.

The figures, simultaneously players and game pieces, embody the tension between chance and strategy, order and spontaneity. Haring’s overlapping forms and radiant lines convey motion and interaction, suggesting the unpredictable, interconnected nature of human experience. As the concluding plate in the suite, this work emphasizes the culmination of shared energy, engagement, and collective play, reflecting Haring’s enduring fascination with how individuals relate to one another within structured systems.

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 5) 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 5), 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. 47 b.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this artwork.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Keith Haring Ludo (Plate 5), 1985 is presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.