Pop Shop IV (B) (Littmann P. 146) by Keith Haring centres on one of the artist’s most iconic and recognisable motifs: the radiant baby.

The work depicts two red figures lifting a crawling brown baby above their heads against an intense yellow background, while thick black radiating lines burst outward from the child’s body.

Few images are more closely associated with Haring’s practice than the radiant baby, which became a universal symbol throughout his work for innocence, energy, life and spiritual possibility. The radiant baby first appeared in Haring’s subway drawings in the early 1980s and quickly evolved into both his signature image and personal tag across New York City. Drawn repeatedly in white chalk on unused black advertising panels throughout the subway system, the glowing infant became instantly identifiable with Haring himself.

By the late 1980s, the radiant baby had become internationally recognised, appearing across murals, paintings, sculptures and editioned prints as the defining emblem of Haring’s work. In Pop Shop IV (B), the motif becomes the centre of a communal act of elevation and celebration. The supporting red figures appear to present or protect the child, reinforcing recurring themes of collective energy, hope and renewal.

The saturated yellow creates an atmosphere of intensity and optimism, while the bold red figures generate a strong upward movement beneath the glowing child. Haring strips the image down to essential forms and gestures, yet the emotional force remains immediate and unmistakable. The radiating lines surrounding the baby amplify the sensation of movement and energy, reinforcing why the radiant baby became one of the most enduring and recognisable symbols of twentieth-century art.

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