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Keith HaringOriginal Vintage Poster by Keith Haring Free South Africa 19851985
1985
About the Item
This original poster by Keith Haring, titled "Free South Africa," was created in 1985 as a bold visual protest against apartheid—the system of institutionalized racial segregation and oppression in South Africa. Using his iconographic signature, Haring illustrates a powerful, almost primal struggle: a large black figure is shackled by a smaller white figure, rendered in stark graphic contrast. The tension is immediate, the symbolism clear—this is not just art, but a demand for justice.
Keith Haring (1958–1990) was a prolific and politically engaged artist who emerged from New York City’s vibrant street art scene in the early 1980s. He was more than a street artist—he was a cultural force whose work helped redefine the boundaries of contemporary art and activism. Deeply committed to using his art as a tool for activism, Haring created Free South Africa following a series of anti-apartheid demonstrations and growing international outrage over the brutal policies of the South African government. The poster was not a commercial release, but part of a grassroots campaign: it was wheat-pasted across city walls and handed out to activists, meant to spark conversation and catalyze change.
This work exemplifies Haring’s belief that art should be accessible, direct, and socially relevant. The flattened forms, thick lines, and vivid red, black, and white palette amplify the urgency of the message. It stands alongside other activist-driven creations of the decade that sought to challenge systems of power and give voice to the oppressed.
This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. It is conservation mounted, linen backed, and in excellent condition. There are some very unobtrusive blemishes near the edges that will be minimized once framed. We guarantee the authenticity of all our posters.
- Creator:Keith Haring (1958-1990, American)
- Creation Year:1985
- Dimensions:Height: 48.75 in (123.83 cm)Width: 48 in (121.92 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Boca Raton, FL
- Reference Number:Seller: 104941stDibs: LU2560216081222
Keith Haring
Keith Haring began experimenting with his bold, graphic lines and cartoon-inspired figures on the walls of New York City subway stations in the early 1980s. He called them his “laboratory,” places to develop a radical new aesthetic based on an ideology of creating truly democratic public art.
Haring’s paintings, prints and murals address the universal themes of death, love and sex, as well as contemporary issues he experienced personally, like the crack-cocaine and AIDS epidemics. They derive much of their impact from the powerful contrast between these serious subjects and the joyful, vibrant pictographic language he uses to express them, full of dancing figures, babies, barking dogs, hearts and rhythmic lines, as well as references to pop culture.
To make his art even more accessible, in 1986, Haring opened the Pop Shop in Soho. In a foreshadowing of today’s intermingling of art and fashion, the shop sold merchandise and novelty items featuring imagery by Haring and contemporaries like Kenny Scharf and Jean-Michel Basquiat. While his works sometimes included text, for the most part, he chose to communicate through drawing.
“Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times,” Haring once declared. “It lives through magic.”
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