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About the Work
"Untitled (Tower)" is a sumi ink on paper drawing created by Keith Haring in 1984. The artwork is signed and dated 'K. Haring 84' lower left vertical. The image size is 38 x 25" and the artwork is framed in a contemporary black frame. The artwork ships framed and includes a letter from Jenny Holzer confirming the provenance of the work.
In 1984, Keith Haring (1958–1990) stood at the forefront of a new generation of artists redefining the role of art in public life. Having already electrified New York City’s subways with his chalk drawings and captured the attention of the gallery world, Haring was simultaneously creating politically charged public works, collaborating with fellow artists, and refining his instantly recognizable visual language of universal symbols. Untitled, 1984, a sumi ink drawing on vivid acid green paper measuring 38 x 24¾ inches, belongs to this critical year of artistic and cultural engagement. The work depicts a dynamic tower of dancing figures — often referred to as a “people tower” or “people ladder” — that appears throughout Haring’s oeuvre as a joyful metaphor for collective strength and human connection.
This drawing was created during an exceptionally fertile and ambitious period. In 1984, Haring launched his now-iconic Vote Truck project, painting a monumental image on a mobile billboard urging civic participation during the election season. The same year, he collaborated with conceptual artist Jenny Holzer on her landmark project Sign on a Truck, a rented delivery vehicle equipped with a scrolling LED screen displaying Holzer’s provocative texts.
Haring contributed painted imagery to Holzer’s truck, wrapping its body in his signature radiant babies, barking dogs, and writhing figures — visual counterpoints to Holzer’s conceptual aphorisms. This collaboration underscored both artists’ shared conviction that art must be accessible and disruptive, capable of engaging audiences beyond gallery walls. Untitled (1984) was gifted by Haring to Holzer during this period of collaboration, embodying the spirit of solidarity and mutual respect that characterized their relationship.
The composition presents a vertical stack of simplified human forms, their limbs raised in gestures of exultation and interdependence. Each figure appears to support the next, suggesting a precarious but triumphant collective ascent. The acid green paper lends the piece a vibrant urgency, echoing the fluorescent palette that defined Haring’s public murals and political projects of the same year. Rendered in fluid sumi ink, the forms retain a raw immediacy, capturing the energy of Haring’s hand in motion. This “people tower” motif was central to Haring’s vocabulary, functioning as a visual emblem of cooperation, resilience, and community — values he championed throughout his career.
Created alongside the Vote Truck and the Sign on a Truck projects, this work embodies Haring’s creative and political peak and offers a rare glimpse into the mutual admiration among New York’s most innovative artists. Untitled (1984) is a work to be treasured not only for its vibrant aesthetic but for the singular moment it represents: when Keith Haring’s commitment to social change met his relentless pursuit of visual immediacy. As a gift to Jenny Holzer, it stands as a testament to the collaborations that helped define an era — and to the idea that art can, and should, belong to everyone.
About the Artist
Keith Haring was a social activist and artist who wasn’t afraid to depict and publicize controversial topics such as war, sexuality, life, and death with his art. Haring used New York City - the walls, stations, and buildings - as his canvas, creating masterpieces for the public eye. His signature cartoon style combined his outspoken political and social activism place Haring amongst the legends in the art world. Born May 4, 1958, in Reading, Pennsylvania, Haring grew up fascinated by the cartoon art of Walt Disney, Charles Schultz, and even Dr. Seuss. Haring’s father also drew cartoons as a hobby in his free time, inspiring a young Haring to perhaps make his own one day. Eventually, as a grown man, he moved to New York City to enroll at the School of Visual Arts. It is there Haring found his artistic peers and social niche and became acquainted with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf, among other individuals in the underground art scene.
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