Lot 1
Signed Bottom Right - With Personalized Note On The Back Of The Canvas With A Second Signature. Bottom Center Area Of Front Looks To Have Had Some Type Of Discoloring After Artwork Was Completed. Back Of Painting Shows Heavy Build Up Of Dirt And Hair In Corners From Not Being Professionally Protected During Storage. This Will Require Cleaning By Purchaser. The Origination And Ownership Of This Painting As Follows: Keith Haring traveled to Phoenix, Arizona in December 1986 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. A signed note by Haring on the back of the painting indicates that he gifted the painting to “Chris.” The note is dated December 13, 1986, which falls within the time period of Haring’s visit to Phoenix. Haring’s visit was widely publicized by Arizona Highways Magazine, the Phoenix Gazette and many other media outlets. While EJ’s Auction’s consignor did not know Chris personally, she was friends with his partner. Chris passed in the early 1990s and then his partner gave the painting to the consignor before he passed. She did not care for the painting’s style and stored it away, moved around with it, and most recently, had it in a storage unit. She didn’t realize who Keith Haring was, and it wasn’t until she emptied her storage unit that a friend suggested she research the artist. The consignor contacted EJ’s Auction & Appraisal in early 2020. Upon inspection by EJ’s Auction’s senior appraiser, it was determined that the painting was likely by the hand of Keith Haring. EJ’s initial research revealed that the Keith Haring Foundation disbanded their authentication committee on September 1, 2012. EJ’s continued the process of authenticating the painting by searching for a reputable forensic handwriting expert to examine the extensive handwritten note on the back of the painting. On March 3, 2020, EJ’s Auction & Appraisal retained the services of Bart Baggett, a renowned forensic document examiner and an experienced expert witness. He is a skilled authority in handwriting identification and has examined more than 14,000 documents as part of more than 1,000 cases. Mr. Baggett is a court qualified expert witness in the field of questioned documents within many states, including, California, Texas, Alaska, Nevada, Florida, and Arizona. He has testified in both civil and criminal trials, jury and bench trials, and in federal court. He has consulted on cases nationwide and for the nation’s top media personalities, lawyers, and district attorneys. On March 25, 2020, Mr. Baggett provided EJ’s Auction & Appraisal with his written opinion regarding the authenticity of the painting’s handwriting based upon his thorough analysis of these items and from an application of accepted forensic document examination tools, principles and techniques. It is his professional expert opinion that Keith Haring did write, sign and date this piece, and that the inscription, signature and date on the painting are all authentic and should be relied upon as such. While the signature on the front is consistent with known examples, Mr. Baggett's report does not include reference to it. This is because the signature on the front was done with a paintbrush and Mr. Baggett's expertise does not technically extend to the hand movements one would use with a paintbrush versus typical writing instruments. Bidders can inspect the opinion letter and the painting by contacting EJ’s Auction & Appraisal. Video and photos can be found on EJ’s website, www.ejsauction.com, 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 a.m. on auction day, Friday, June 19, 2020 (barring no statewide restrictions relating to COVID-19). The auction will begin at 12 pm PST. A starting bid of $50,000 must be met for bidding to begin, and bidders must pre-register at www.ejsauction.com.
- Dimensions: Art 35.75” x 25.5” Frame 36.5" x 26"
- Literature: Painting also includes binder with opinion letter from Expert Document Examiner Bart Baggett.
- Medium: Acrylic On Canvas
- Circa: 1986
- Condition: Bottom Center Area Of Front Looks To Have Had Some Type Of Discoloring After Artwork Was Completed. Back Of Painting Shows Heavy Build Up Of Dirt And Hair In Corners From Not Being Professionally Protected During Storage. This Will Require Cleaning By Purchaser.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $99 | $5 |
| $100 | $199 | $10 |
| $200 | $499 | $25 |
| $500 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 + | $500 |