Flowers I
Flowers I
Signed Print
Keith Haring
£15,000-£23,000 VALUE (EST.)
$29,000-$45,000 VALUE (EST.)
$25,000-$40,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥130,000-¥200,000 VALUE (EST.)
€17,000-€27,000 VALUE (EST.)
$150,000-$220,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥2,600,000-¥3,990,000 VALUE (EST.)
$19,000-$29,000 VALUE (EST.)
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Screenprint, 1990
Signed Print Edition of 100
H 100cm x W 130cm
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Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2020 | Christie's London - United Kingdom | Flowers I - Signed Print | |||
| May 2013 | Christie's New York - United States | Flowers I - Signed Print |
Meaning & Analysis
This signed screen print from 1990 is a limited edition of 100 from Keith Haring’s Flowers series. Rendered in Haring’s distinct pop-graffiti style through the use of colourful and dense, rhythmic lines, Flowers I features a bright scene of a figure plucking flowers on a sunny day and was completed the year of his tragic death by AIDS. There is a sense of urgency to this work in its focus on fluid, bold outlines set against a dense rhythmic surface whereby drip lines and splatter marks can be seen.
As a nod to Haring’s own AIDS diagnosis in 1988 and the widely felt suffering by many from the virus, the print has a visceral, painterly quality that evokes a sense of bodily suffering and emotionally charged expression. At first glance this print seems to have a childlike light-hearted character due to the vibrant pastel colour palette and playful subject matter. However, upon closer inspection the figure and flowers in the image are distinctly phallic, thus Haring cleverly alludes to the correlation between sex, AIDS and the fragility of life.
The figure in Flowers I is seen to be cutting the phallic flowers from the ground, conjuring ideas surrounding the ending of life and castration. In this print Haring makes clear the stigma felt by many people living with HIV/AIDS around their sexuality and its relation to life and death.
