Apocalypse 8
by Keith Haring
Year: 1988
Medium: Silkscreen
Size: 38 X 38″
Edition of 90
Striking in scale and symbolism, Keith Haring’s Apocalypse 8 (1988) is a silkscreen measuring 38 × 38 inches, issued in a limited edition of 90. Created during a pivotal period in Haring’s career, the work reflects his urgent visual language and engagement with mortality, power, and popular culture. Its rarity, strong historical resonance, and collectible status make it an exceptional acquisition for discerning collectors.
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First appearing in Keith Haring’s 1988 Apocalypse suite, Apocalypse 8 was created in dialogue with William S. Burroughs’ dark text on modern chaos, violence, and collapse. At its center, Haring’s horned “devil sperm” becomes a charged symbol of fear, corruption, vulnerability, and destructive energy. The broken horn adds a rare note of weakness to an otherwise threatening figure.
There is no documented street-graffiti version of this exact composition. Instead, Apocalypse 8 translates Haring’s public, spontaneous visual language into a highly finished screenprint, linking his subway vocabulary to a darker late-1980s body of work.
For collectors, rarity is a major strength: the edition is limited to just 90, with 20 artist’s proofs. Recent auction results, including $10,795 at Phillips in 2025, show sustained market demand. Its scale, scarcity, and place within the Apocalypse suite give it lasting importance.
The image is unusually confrontational for Haring, and that is precisely its appeal. It connects his iconic symbols with Burroughs’ apocalyptic vision and the artist’s recurring concerns with death, power, sex, and social violence. For collectors seeking a serious, museum-caliber Keith Haring work beyond the familiar Pop Shop imagery, Apocalypse 8 is a compelling acquisition.
More Keith Haring Works to Explore
Apocalypse 8
by Keith Haring
Year: 1988
Medium: Silkscreen
Size: 38 X 38″
Edition of 90
Striking in scale and symbolism, Keith Haring’s Apocalypse 8 (1988) is a silkscreen measuring 38 × 38 inches, issued in a limited edition of 90. Created during a pivotal period in Haring’s career, the work reflects his urgent visual language and engagement with mortality, power, and popular culture. Its rarity, strong historical resonance, and collectible status make it an exceptional acquisition for discerning collectors.
First appearing in Keith Haring’s 1988 Apocalypse suite, Apocalypse 8 was created in dialogue with William S. Burroughs’ dark text on modern chaos, violence, and collapse. At its center, Haring’s horned “devil sperm” becomes a charged symbol of fear, corruption, vulnerability, and destructive energy. The broken horn adds a rare note of weakness to an otherwise threatening figure.
There is no documented street-graffiti version of this exact composition. Instead, Apocalypse 8 translates Haring’s public, spontaneous visual language into a highly finished screenprint, linking his subway vocabulary to a darker late-1980s body of work.
For collectors, rarity is a major strength: the edition is limited to just 90, with 20 artist’s proofs. Recent auction results, including $10,795 at Phillips in 2025, show sustained market demand. Its scale, scarcity, and place within the Apocalypse suite give it lasting importance.
The image is unusually confrontational for Haring, and that is precisely its appeal. It connects his iconic symbols with Burroughs’ apocalyptic vision and the artist’s recurring concerns with death, power, sex, and social violence. For collectors seeking a serious, museum-caliber Keith Haring work beyond the familiar Pop Shop imagery, Apocalypse 8 is a compelling acquisition.