Shepard Fairey

Key facts

Born

1970, American

Movements

• Street Art
• Contemporary

Works held in

1 museum^[1]

• What is Shepard Fairey known for?+

  Shepard Fairey is particularly known for his "Hope" poster of Barack Obama during the 2008 US presidential election. The stylised portrait became an unofficial emblem of the campaign and gained international recognition.
• What is Shepard Fairey's most famous work?+

  Shepard Fairey is best known for his poster of Barack Obama, made during the 2008 US presidential election. The design features a stencilled portrait of Obama in red, white, and blue. The image is based on a photograph and includes a single word: initially 'progress', but later changed to 'hope'. Fairey, already known for his 'Andre the Giant Has a Posse' sticker campaign, created the poster in a single day. He produced an initial run of 700 posters, distributing half through his activist networks and selling the rest to fund further production. By 'Super Tuesday', the print run had reached 4,000. Obama won the Democratic nomination, and Fairey's poster became a viral phenomenon. It boosted Obama's popularity, and, by the time of his election, 350,000 posters and 500,000 stickers had been produced. The image has become a cultural icon, inspiring countless versions. In January 2009, the original design was acquired by the National Portrait Gallery. Fairey was also commissioned to design the cover art for *Time* magazine's 'Person of the Year' in 2008. However, a copyright dispute led to legal trouble for Fairey, resulting in probation and a fine.
• What should I know about Shepard Fairey's prints?+

  Shepard Fairey's prints are often produced as limited editions, a practice common among printmakers. The decision to limit an edition is usually the artist's choice, not due to technical restrictions. A woodblock, for example, can produce a large number of prints if maintained well; Thomas Bewick's wood engraving of Newcastle was printed 900,000 times. Each print in a limited edition is numbered, with the print number and the total edition size indicated on the print itself (e.g., 35/100). The artist typically signs and numbers the prints in pencil. Some artists also create artist's proofs, typically ten percent of the edition, marked as AP (e.g., 5/100 AP). Original prints, like woodcuts, linocuts, or serigraphs, are produced by hand and are considered originals because the artist creates the artwork directly on the plate, woodblock, or screen. These are often sold in specialised galleries and fine art outlets. Alternatively, offset reproductions (also known as posters) are created photochemically, without physical limits to the edition size, though publishers may limit quantities to increase value. Giclée prints, inkjet fine art prints, are also increasingly popular, with canvas transfers offering the look of a painting.
• What style or movement did Shepard Fairey belong to?+

  Shepard Fairey is associated with street art, which gained commercial recognition in the art world from the mid-2000s. Street art is closely linked to social media, where it can be shared globally. Fairey's work, like that of Banksy, George Condo, JR, and KAWS, has achieved market value through gallery sales and auctions. These artists often employ simple, cliché messages and advertising techniques. Popularity, speed of production, and ubiquity are prized. From around 1970, art movements emerged and dissolved with increasing speed. Artists employed a broader range of materials, approaches and processes than ever before, including video, performance, computers and the internet, as well as traditional materials. Incorporating a variety of styles, ideas and cultural trends, with no dominant culture or country leading the way, Pluralism seemed to be the most appropriate way of describing it all. Postmodernism is another umbrella term for art movements that sought to challenge aspects of Modernism. It is often seen as starting with Pop art’s elimination of distinctions between high and mass culture, and its refusal to accept the authority of any one style or definition of what art should be. Postmodern art is often quirky, absurd, irreverent or meaningless. Postmodernists often work with new technologies, including television, video, smartphones, computers and the internet, sourcing, manipulating and processing imagery.
• What techniques or materials did Shepard Fairey use?+

  Shepard Fairey's work encompasses a range of materials and techniques, often combining screen printing with mixed media elements. Historically, artists have painted on photographic substrates since photography's invention. By the late 19th century, advancements made it easier to incorporate photography into the studio. M. L. Winter of Vienna, for instance, produced enlarged photographs on linen from 1877. When using canvas, artists often employ primed cotton duck with a medium texture. Applying two additional coats of white gesso is common. Some artists use Masonite, cut to a specific size, with three or four gesso coats. Pencil techniques such as hatching (parallel strokes), crosshatching (layered strokes at angles), shading (pressure-based), gradating (pressure changes for value), blending (smoothing with tools), and textured shading (uneven strokes) are all available.
• What was Shepard Fairey known for?+

  Shepard Fairey is a contemporary artist associated with street art. Fairey, along with artists such as Banksy, JR, and KAWS, gained commercial recognition in galleries and auctions from the mid-2000s. Social media allowed street art to reach a global audience, as works could be photographed and shared widely. According to Julian Stallabrass, popularity and speed of production are prized qualities in this field. Banksy, for instance, combines anonymity with a branded style to gain fame and market value. His messages are simple and quickly understood, using familiar advertising techniques. Despite this, Banksy's work, along with Fairey's and others, can be found in prestigious collections. Banksy is known for critiquing and exploiting his art-world fame, as demonstrated when he auctioned a print of his image, *Girl with Balloon*, with a shredder built into the frame.
• When did Shepard Fairey live and work?+

  Shepard Fairey is an American artist born in 1970. He gained widespread recognition for his street art and graphic design work. One notable example is the Barack Obama "Hope" poster from 2008, which became a viral sensation and a cultural icon during the US presidential election. Fairey's early work included the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. Although the Obama campaign did not officially employ Fairey as a designer, they welcomed his support. Fairey created the "Hope" poster in a single day, producing an initial run of 700 copies. The poster's image of Obama gazing upwards, combined with the word "Hope", resonated with voters and boosted Obama's popularity. By the time Obama was elected, hundreds of thousands of posters and stickers had been produced. Fairey was later commissioned to design the cover art for *Time* magazine's Person of the Year in 2008. However, he faced legal issues related to the copyright of the photograph used in the "Hope" poster, resulting in probation and a fine.
• Where can I see Shepard Fairey's work?+

  Shepard Fairey's art has appeared in numerous exhibitions since the 1990s. His work was included in "Multiples of the Sixties", which travelled to several US museums between 1997 and 2000, including the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum. Fairey's art also featured in "Pop Impressions U.S.A." at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (1999), and "The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-2000" at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1999-2000). More recently, Fairey's prints were shown in "Contemporary Prints" at Elliot Smith Contemporary Art, St. Louis (2001-2002). His work has also been part of group shows such as "Pop and Modern" at the Lukman Gallery, California State University, Los Angeles (2003). These are just a few examples; Fairey's art has been widely exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions across the United States and internationally.
• Where was Shepard Fairey from?+

  The Pop artist Andy Warhol, born Andrew Warhola, was from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The third son of Czechoslovakian immigrants, Warhol had a childhood illness at age nine; this illness left him nervous. He grew up drawing and collecting photos of film stars. At 14, he studied art appreciation and commercial art at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, in Pittsburgh. Warhol moved to New York in 1949, where he designed department store windows and worked as a commercial artist creating advertisements. In the 1950s, he began producing blotted-ink drawings of shoe advertisements. RCA Records hired Warhol to design album covers. From 1962 onwards, he produced silkscreen prints, using stencils to add paint to paper. Warhol is known for making art showing cans of soup.
• Who did Shepard Fairey influence?+

  Identifying artistic influence is a complex task; declaring who influenced whom can become a contentious "game of influence baiting". Art historians and dealers may be tempted to declare influence where none exists, or to overstate it to affect sales. Despite these difficulties, some artists shaped by Pop Art include Julian Opie, whose graphic figures owe a debt to Lichtenstein. Michael Craig-Martin paints commercial products against flat colour fields. Elizabeth Peyton's portraits of celebrities, influenced by Hockney, offer a tribute to popular culture. Tracing influence can be a "sore point", as some artists may not find the supposed source of influence particularly interesting. Nevertheless, the institutional legacy of major figures is significant, with many artists testifying to their importance. The world of art theory and practice has become pluralistic, meaning that no single artist or movement dominates.
• Who influenced Shepard Fairey?+

  Shepard Fairey's artistic influences are diverse. Examination of other artists' methods and works has been a consistent element in art history. Some artists find inspiration in the work of others, using it as a springboard for their own creations. One approach involves direct engagement, where artists create abstract responses to existing works, or versions of paintings. This allows for a deeper understanding of the original artist's techniques and spatial arrangements. Another method involves incorporating elements from museum catalogues and books into compositions. Artists may base their work on patterns and symbols found in these sources, blending them with their own inventive approaches. This can involve copying figures and motifs, then integrating them into new works. For example, Basquiat copied details from a Metropolitan Museum of Art collection catalogue. Self-teaching through appropriation is another strategy. Artists may study "how-to-draw" books and practice replicating images, mastering techniques by copying and adapting existing works. This process enables artists to develop their skills and create their own visual vocabulary.
• Who was Shepard Fairey?+

  Shepard Fairey is an American artist known for his graphic design and street art. He first gained attention for his "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign. This evolved into the "OBEY" campaign, using similar imagery and design. Fairey is perhaps best recognised for his 2008 Barack Obama "Hope" poster. Initially, Fairey, an Obama supporter, wanted to design something for the campaign. Although the Obama team did not employ him directly, they welcomed his support. Fairey created the pop-art stencilled image in a single day, basing it on a photograph of Obama. The Obama team changed the word "progress" to "hope"; Fairey then produced an initial run of 700 posters, distributing some through activist networks and selling others to finance further production. The "Hope" poster became a viral sensation, reflecting and boosting Obama's popularity. It has since become a cultural icon, with many versions and parodies. Fairey was later invited to create a new poster for Obama's inauguration and design the cover for *Time* magazine's Person of the Year in 2008. However, a copyright dispute over the photograph used in the poster led to legal trouble for Fairey.