The Boxers, Steel sculpture at Potsdamer Platz, Germany.
The Boxers is a 1987 painted steel sculpture by Keith Haring showing two simplified humanoid figures, one red and one blue, each with holes in the head and stomach. The arms are set through the holes, giving the impression that the other figure punched them out. It stood in Berlin on a marble-clad pedestal in a water basin until 2025, when it was moved to Stuttgart-Untertürkheim.
Keith Haring made the steel and lacquer sculpture in 1987. From 1998 to 2025 it stood on a marble-clad pedestal in a water basin at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, near the Staatsbibliothek. In 2025 the owner, the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection, dismantled it and reinstalled it in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim near the Mercedes-Benz Group headquarters.
The figures show how Haring brought his street art style into public sculpture, using dynamic poses and flowing lines that feel almost alive. This work demonstrates how art can exist equally well outdoors among buildings as it does in galleries.
The sculpture sits in an accessible public square and is easy to find when visiting Potsdamer Platz. Walk around it to see how the cut-out sections change appearance depending on your viewing angle and the time of day.
The fighters have cut-out holes in their heads and bodies that let you see straight through the metal structure to what lies behind. This hollow design creates an unusual sense of transparency and movement within the solid forms.
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