KEITH HARING (1958-1990)
Barking Dog. Paper cut out with prepared metallic acrylic ground. 115x175 mm; 4x6 inches. Signed and dated in felt-tip pen and ink, upper right recto. 1981.Provenance: Estate of Dan Farrell, Old Chatman, New York; private collection, East Greenbush, New York.During his attendance at the School of Visual Arts, New York, Haring studied semiotics, the usage and interpretation of signs and symbols. In 1980, the artist started to create chalk drawings on the unused advertising panels of the New York Subway stations, and would continue doing so for the next ten years to the delight of the city's commuters. Barking dogs were among his repeated icons, along with flying saucers and his signature radiant baby. Haring's pictographs, for their simplicity and accessibility, were replicated on T-shirts as well as a multitude of other consumer goods, securing Haring's place in 1980s popular culture.