Keith HARING
"Art should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. [By] taking it off the pedestal, I’m giving it back to the people."
Keith Haring
Keith Haring | The Shapes of an Icon
THE SKATEROOM is proud to unveil a new collection inspired by Keith Haring.
For decades, Keith Haring has remained one of the most recognizable and influential figures in contemporary art. His visual language, immediate, rhythmic and universally accessible, transformed public space into a site of movement, energy and expression.
This new release revisits Keith Haring’s deep connection to skate culture through a series of collectible skateboard editions spanning classic deck formats, old school skate shapes and, for the first time within a THE SKATEROOM Keith Haring collection, custom-made special shape skate decks inspired directly by the artist’s iconic characters.
Haring’s famous Dog and Snake leave the frame entirely, transformed into sculptural skate objects that blur the line between collectible design, functional object and contemporary art. Alongside these new special shape editions, the collection also pays tribute to the skateboards Haring himself painted and drew on throughout the 1980s through a series of old school deck formats inspired by vintage skate silhouettes from the era.
More than reproductions, these pieces reconnect with the raw energy of downtown New York, where skateboarding, music, graffiti and contemporary art naturally collided.
Keith Haring in 3D
Launching alongside Keith Haring in 3D at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the collection arrives within a broader renewed focus on the artist’s three-dimensional practice, sculptural objects and unconventional surfaces. The exhibition explores a lesser-known aspect of Haring’s work through sculptures, installations, skateboards and painted objects, offering an important new perspective on the artist’s creative universe.The collection will also be available to purchase at the Museum store.
Skateboarding & Keith Haring
Long before skateboarding became a global industry, it existed as a countercultural language rooted in public space, experimentation and freedom. The same could be said of Keith Haring’s work.
Emerging from New York’s downtown scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Haring moved naturally between art, music, activism and street culture. His practice rejected the exclusivity of the traditional art world, favoring direct communication and public accessibility instead. Skateboarding shared that same spirit.
Haring frequently incorporated skateboards into his practice, drawing and painting directly onto decks as physical extensions of his visual universe. His bold lines, barking dogs, radiant babies and dancing figures translated effortlessly onto the shape and movement of skateboards.
Artestar
This project was done in collaboration with Artestar, a global licensing agency and creative consultancy representing world-renowned visual artists, estates, and foundations. Artestar conceptualizes and develops some of the world’s most iconic brand partnerships across an array of categories and geographic regions, all while preserving and elevating each artist’s unique legacy. Through strategic planning and thoughtful curation, Artestar powers creative collaborations to make art accessible to everyone.
