Keith Haring The Story of Red and Blue For Sale

Keith Haring: The Story of Red and Blue Series

Created in 1989, the final year of Keith Haring's tragically abbreviated career, "The Story of Red and Blue" stands as one of the artist's most conceptually sophisticated print portfolios. This seventeen-print series represents Haring's mature synthesis of visual storytelling and social commentary, distilled to its essential chromatic elements. Working with master printer Bill Woodman at Grenfell Press, Haring employed screenprint techniques to create a narrative entirely through the interplay of his iconic figures rendered in bold red and blue against stark white backgrounds. The series demonstrates the artist's extraordinary ability to communicate complex themes of conflict, cooperation, and resolution through purely visual vocabulary, stripped of linguistic barriers.

The technical execution of these screenprints showcases Haring's evolved command of the medium. Each composition maintains the energetic linework and kinetic vitality that defined his subway drawings and public murals, while achieving the precision and color saturation possible only through fine art printmaking. The portfolio format allowed Haring to explore sequential narrative in ways that anticipated contemporary graphic novels and visual storytelling, with each print functioning both as an independent composition and as part of a larger dialectical conversation. The dualistic color scheme—red versus blue, warm versus cool—creates an immediately accessible visual metaphor for opposition and eventual synthesis, themes that preoccupied Haring throughout his politically engaged practice.

"The Story of Red and Blue" occupies a significant position within Haring's market, representing late-period work created with full awareness of his artistic legacy. The series appears in the Littmann catalogue raisonné (PP. 128-131), ensuring scholarly documentation and authentication crucial to serious collectors. As one of Haring's final print projects, these works carry both art historical importance and strong market fundamentals. The portfolio's conceptual depth appeals to institutional collectors, while individual prints remain accessible to dedicated Haring enthusiasts. Condition, provenance, and completeness significantly impact value, with the Cover print (Littmann PP. 128) often commanding particular attention.

For collectors seeking museum-quality examples from this important series, Guy Hepner maintains expertly curated inventory with comprehensive documentation and authentication.