The King (Littmann P. 115) by Keith Haring, created during the final years of the artist’s life, carries a darker and more ominous atmosphere than many of his earlier works. Although not formally part of Apocalypse, the work shares much of the same visual tension and symbolic density found throughout the 1988 portfolio created alongside writer William S. Burroughs. Like Apocalypse, The King merges bodily imagery with machines, symbols of power and references to time, creating a scene that feels unstable and psychologically charged.

Created one year after Haring’s AIDS diagnosis and one year before his death, The King reflects a growing awareness of mortality that entered much of his late work. The imagery becomes more compressed and severe than the open, celebratory energy associated with his earlier subway drawings and public murals. Here, power appears unstable rather than triumphant. The crowned figure reads less as a monarch in the traditional sense than as a symbol of public visibility, fame and cultural dominance — themes closely tied to Haring’s own rapid rise during the 1980s. By the end of the decade, his imagery had become internationally recognisable, moving between galleries, public projects, advertising campaigns and popular culture with unusual speed.

Despite its darker tone, the work retains the immediacy that defines Haring’s print practice. Thick black outlines, sharply contrasting colour and tightly organised forms allow the image to function with the directness of a poster whilst carrying a far more anxious psychological atmosphere beneath the surface.

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