Three Lithographs 1 (Cock Fight) (Littmann P. 39) by Keith Haring shows two nude figures locked in combat, coral-red lines dashing across the confrontation to suggest impact, a sun overhead and a medical cross watching from the opposite corner.

The cross is doing more work here than decoration. By 1985 it had become one of the symbols Haring reached for when addressing the AIDS crisis directly, and its presence above a scene of violence reads less as commentary on the fight itself than as a marker of the wider climate the fight stands in for — urban aggression treated as one symptom among several. The title's reference to cockfighting, an underground blood sport used here as shorthand for masculine posturing, gives the confrontation a specific cultural address rather than a generic one, and the sparse, monochrome economy of the line puts the emphasis entirely on the two bodies and what passes between them.

For more information or to buy Three Lithographs 1 (Cock Fight) (Littmann P. 39) by Keith Haring, contact our specialists using the enquiry button above.

View Keith Haring original art for sale, or learn how to sell Keith Haring artwork.