Why is the Stones series important?

Towards the end of his life Haring was making ever more inventive and daring work in large quantities, perhaps a response to his HIV diagnosis in 1987. “I know my days are numbered,” he writes in a letter from the time, “this is why my activities and projects are so important now. To do as much as possible as quickly as possible … Work is all I have and art is more important than life.” This prolific output resulted in an enormous number of prints, so many that the exact number has become impossible to count. The Stones series remains one of his most striking sets and have become an essential addition to any collection of works by Haring.

How do I buy a Stones print?

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How can I sell my Stones print?

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Stones by Keith Haring Background & Meaning

Meaning & Analysis

Keith Haring's monochrome, labyrinthine, print series Stones, was created in 1989, a year before his death from AIDs related complications. Notable for their labyrinthine designs, the prints in Keith Haring’s Stones series are striking examples of the Pop artist’s ability to create complex images while maintaining the simplicity of line. Though the lithographs were produced at the end of his life they evoke his beginnings as an artist, the white on black lines recalling his earlysubway drawings that originally made his name in New York.

Characteristic of Haring’s oeuvre, these works maintain a simple line within a complex design informed by eastern and western art history. From the Ecce Homo tradition in Renaissance painting and the labyrinth of Greek mythology to the Nazca lines of South America and the bold designs of Aboriginal art, Haring borrowed from a number of sources to come up with his own unique style. With this marriage of influences, the Stones series can be seen as the epitome of Haring’s hybrid style.

Throughout his career he worked extensively with print as a medium. Beginning with lithography he then turned to screen printing to concentrate on the possibilities the technique offered in terms of colour and large edition sizes. However later in his life he returned to lithography to make monochrome series such as Stones. To make a lithograph the artist usually draws directly onto a stone or metal plate which is then dampened with water and covered in ink. The resulting image can be printed a number of times. This series, produced in an edition of 60, shows Haring’s complete mastery of the medium, his bold lines strikingly reproduced just as effectively as in his paintings.

Towards the end of his life Haring was making ever more inventive and daring work in large quantities, perhaps a response to his HIV diagnosis in 1987. “I know my days are numbered,” he writes in a letter from the time, “this is why my activities and projects are so important now. To do as much as possible as quickly as possible … Work is all I have and art is more important than life.” This prolific output resulted in an enormous number of prints, so many that the exact number has become impossible to count. The Stones series remains one of his most striking sets and have become an essential addition to any collection of works by Haring.
One of the most influential and well-loved artists of the late 20th century, Haring has become a household name for his cartoonish style that knew no difference between high and low art, east and west. However, this simple approach belies a rigorous interrogation of art history, the social mores of his day and the commercialism of the art world that was at the heart of Haring’s practice. In this series we see the apotheosis of the artist’s career, his black and white designs turning from play to sorrow in a dark revival of the subway drawings that first brought him to the attention of the art world and the public.
If you're looking to sell art by Keith Haring, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.