Pop Shop V (B), (Littmann P. 148) by Keith Haring is one of the most visually playful images from Haring’s Pop Shop series, combining a winged turquoise figure with two dolphin-like forms emerging from stylised purple water beneath a vivid orange sky.

The image is built around movement and suspension. The winged central figure stretches horizontally across the work with radiating lines surrounding its head and body, while the dolphin figures below appear to rise rhythmically from the water in direct response. Haring reduces each form to its essential contours, yet the scene feels charged with motion and energy through the repetition of curved lines, simplified gestures and sharply contrasting colour relationships. The bright orange intensifies the force of the turquoise and pink forms, creating the immediate impact that was central to his practice.

Unlike the more confrontational barking dog imagery that appears throughout other Pop Shop works, the aquatic imagery in Pop Shop V introduces a lighter and more playful atmosphere. Dolphins recur periodically in Haring’s later work as symbols connected to freedom, movement and harmony, while the winged figure evokes transcendence and elevation.

The pairing of airborne and aquatic forms creates a sense of balance between different states of movement, reinforcing the dreamlike quality that distinguishes this series from some of his earlier urban imagery.

The work was created in direct connection with Haring’s Pop Shop project in SoHo, opened in 1986 to make his imagery available beyond the traditional gallery system. The Pop Shop editions became some of the clearest manifestations of Haring’s democratic philosophy, allowing his work to circulate through prints, posters and objects accessible to a broad audience whilst maintaining the same bold immediacy associated with his public work across New York.

For more information or to buy Pop Shop V (B), (Littmann P. 148) by Keith Haring, contact our specialists using the enquiry button above.