It was nearly 34 years ago, in December 1986, that world-renowned street artist Keith Haring visited Phoenix for a well-documented, week-long visit that included a drawing workshop at Phoenix Art Museum, lectures, and most notably, a collaborative project with some 60 students from South Mountain High School that produced a bold, colorful, abstract 125-foot mural on the wall of an abandoned building in downtown Phoenix.
Now, more than three decades later, an acrylic painting that Haring gifted to a young man during the trip will be auctioned at 12 PM on Friday, June 19 at EJ’s Auction & Appraisal in Glendale, Arizona. The image measures 35.75″ x 25.5″ and it is signed on the bottom right with a personalized note on the back of the canvas along with a second signature.
EJ’s Auction & Appraisal retained the services of Bart Baggett, a renowned forensic document examiner and an experienced expert witness, to examine the handwriting. On March 25, 2020, Mr. Baggett provided EJ’s with his professional expert written opinion that the handwriting was by the hand of Keith Haring.
Mr. Baggett’s report, video and photos of the painting, and provenance can be found on EJ’s Auction & Appraisal’s website, and EJ’s will schedule private viewings of the painting at its Glendale, Arizona auction house through Thursday, June 18.
EJ’s will also open for a public preview at 9 AM on auction day, Friday, June 19. A starting bid of $50,000 must be met for bidding to begin, and bidders must pre-register at ejsauction.com.
Erik Hoyer, CEO of EJ’s Auction & Appraisal, said the full-service auction house researched the painting extensively.
“We’re confident that this is an original Keith Haring painting,” Hoyer said. “Everything points to it being an original, and we encourage serious collectors to schedule an appointment to examine it.”
Keith Haring’s charismatic life was cut short when he died of AIDS-related complications in 1990. He was just 31 years old, but his art and persona were so striking, his legacy lives on with tens of thousands of fans worldwide today.
