Untitled 2 From Free South Africa 1985
by Keith Haring
Year: 1985
Medium: Lithograph
Size: 32" x 40" (81 cm x 100 cm)
Lithograph on Rives BFK Paper
A defining political work from Keith Haring’s 1980s practice, Untitled 2, From Free South Africa (1985) is a 32 × 40-inch (81 × 100 cm) lithograph on Rives BFK paper. Created amid global opposition to apartheid, its urgent graphic language merges activism with Haring’s signature visual vocabulary. Historically resonant and visually commanding, the work offers collectors a compelling example of socially engaged art with strong provenance value.
Created in 1985, Untitled 2, from Free South Africa belongs to Keith Haring’s landmark anti-apartheid project. It first appears as a limited-edition lithograph, rather than a known street-graffiti work. Haring designed the Free South Africa works as activist art, using his direct visual language to confront racial oppression and support the struggle against apartheid.
The image is stark: a large black figure dominates a smaller white figure marked with a red cross, while a chain suggests oppression. Haring turns his familiar dancing forms into a forceful symbol of resistance, inequality, and liberation. The message is immediate, yet the composition leaves room for deeper reflection on power and control.
The edition is limited to just 60, with 15 artist’s proofs. That scarcity, its political importance, and Haring’s global market profile make it a particularly significant acquisition. A 1985 example sold for €6,875 at Ketterer Kunst, while another reached £11,250 at Phillips.
This is Haring at his most purposeful—an instantly readable image where graphic simplicity becomes political power.
It sits at the heart of Haring’s activist practice, alongside Free South Africa, Crack Down, and his later AIDS-related works, linking his street-born vocabulary with socially engaged printmaking.
More Keith Haring Works to Explore
Untitled 2 From Free South Africa 1985
by Keith Haring
Year: 1985
Medium: Lithograph
Size: 32" x 40" (81 cm x 100 cm)
Lithograph on Rives BFK Paper
A defining political work from Keith Haring’s 1980s practice, Untitled 2, From Free South Africa (1985) is a 32 × 40-inch (81 × 100 cm) lithograph on Rives BFK paper. Created amid global opposition to apartheid, its urgent graphic language merges activism with Haring’s signature visual vocabulary. Historically resonant and visually commanding, the work offers collectors a compelling example of socially engaged art with strong provenance value.
Created in 1985, Untitled 2, from Free South Africa belongs to Keith Haring’s landmark anti-apartheid project. It first appears as a limited-edition lithograph, rather than a known street-graffiti work. Haring designed the Free South Africa works as activist art, using his direct visual language to confront racial oppression and support the struggle against apartheid.
The image is stark: a large black figure dominates a smaller white figure marked with a red cross, while a chain suggests oppression. Haring turns his familiar dancing forms into a forceful symbol of resistance, inequality, and liberation. The message is immediate, yet the composition leaves room for deeper reflection on power and control.
The edition is limited to just 60, with 15 artist’s proofs. That scarcity, its political importance, and Haring’s global market profile make it a particularly significant acquisition. A 1985 example sold for €6,875 at Ketterer Kunst, while another reached £11,250 at Phillips.
This is Haring at his most purposeful—an instantly readable image where graphic simplicity becomes political power.
It sits at the heart of Haring’s activist practice, alongside Free South Africa, Crack Down, and his later AIDS-related works, linking his street-born vocabulary with socially engaged printmaking.