Urban Art Association

Might be worth reaching out to the estate. While I understand they don't authenticate works anymore they may be willing to comment on the authenticity of the certificate.

The signature on the drawing alone reveals it to be a fake piece of garbage.

The photos from your ImgBB links have been added directly to this thread for convenience (and greater permanence, in case you chose an auto-delete option on ImgBB).








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Agreed.




Cf. point 1 below.




I wouldn't bother the Keith Haring Foundation about this item. See points 1 and 2 below.




Although not 100% irrefutable evidence that we're in the presence of a counterfeit (at least to my eyes), the "Haring" signature is indeed highly suspect. And it serves to tip the scales when considered together with many of the other tells:






For me, the greater mess is with the "Julia Gruen" signature. That in itself offers all the proof I would require of fakery — even disregarding the dodgy estate stamp:





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jopops — Your query reminded me of recent posts I responded to by other forum members. They were in connection with Banksy ephemera, i.e. items not accompanied by a Pest Control Office certificate of authenticity.

See here**, here* and here*.


My concern was that the members lacked sufficient knowledge, and were therefore setting themselves up as targets, to be overcharged or defrauded.

One of them, apparently based in the Netherlands, comes across to me as still having a misplaced sense of confidence. They have since put up multiple 'In Search Of' posts and even started selling unauthenticated Banksy ephemera — which is, at best, irresponsible if they know too little to distinguish genuine Banksy items from counterfeits.

There is no issue per se when members are ignorant yet conscious of the limitations of their knowledge. That kind of self-awareness has a moderating effect, encouraging greater caution. However, it's a very different story when members are oblivious of their ignorance — unaware of the fact they don't know, but also of the degree of their own cluelessness.


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At this stage of your collecting journey, my advice would be to avoid purchasing Keith Haring artworks, unless sourced from top-tier auction houses like Christie's, Sotheby's or Phillips.

This would also mean staying clear of all galleries, dealers and private sellers. Because what I sense is that you don't yet have a solid grasp of the Haring market, or the ability to discern reputable, credible dealers or collectors from the hoards of less-trustworthy ones.

As mentioned in the post below dated 28 November 2021 (in the Keith Haring Artwork, VALUATION thread*), the market is exceptionally high-risk due to the prevalence of fakes. Keith Haring is possibly the most faked artist in the world:

urbanartassociation.com/post/2139195/thread



The worrisome elements in this thread go beyond any reservations I have about your knowledge and experience.

There also lacked a common-sense approach to your due diligence and verification exercises. By this, I mean that — even from a starting position of minimal familiarity with Haring — basic checks should have made it clear to you that the piece you're considering was counterfeit.

I'll cite just two points, since there's a need to balance the competing interests of (a) informing collectors (so they can better protect themselves against fakes), versus (b) minimising the number of tips that will assist fraudsters (with their sale tactics or in churning out more convincing fakes):


1.  In a now-deleted post, you referred to the seller's asking price of "10K".

Whether in sterling, euros or dollars, query what this figure should say to a prospective buyer.

When searching through past sale results of the big auction houses for signed Haring drawings on paper of a comparable size, subject matter and/or elaborateness, collectors would be hard-pressed to find one for less than the high five figures.

For £10,000, they'd be lucky getting a signed print. Perhaps like the one below, that Christie's sold in September 2021. The imagery looks rather familiar:


onlineonly.christies.com/s/prints-multiples/keith-haring-1958-1990-178/128202








2. The stamp purportedly by the Keith Haring Estate, with the signature purportedly by Julia Gruen as executor for the Estate, looks to be dated 7 December 1989:






This is fraudster incompetence at a comic level. And the fact it could escape the attention of a buyer thinking about spending a significant amount of money does frighten me.

Keith Haring died on 16 February 1990.


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jopops — I hope the above effort is of some help to you.

By way of reciprocity, I'd be grateful if you could confirm the name, location and contact details of the person or entity who tried to sell you the counterfeit Keith Haring drawing.

This will benefit all forum members, letting them know whom to be wary of and thus reducing their likelihood of getting ripped off.

The willingness to show courage by publicly exposing wrongdoers also has an important dissuasive effect — both for current scammers and those who might be thinking about selling fakes in the future.

Thanks for all peolple help me !!

Sorry but it’s not possible to send you adress and name to my contact i don’t use this forum and not sold to internet platform
I have tell it’s fake and he don’t sell this draw now
Thanks for your answer and support !

I told you that it is a person who does not try to scam but who bought this drawing from people, he offered it to me and told me to do what was necessary to find out if it was true or false! he's not a scammer I told him he was fake so won't sell him