Shepard Fairey was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. In 1989 he created the "Andre the Giant has a Posse" sticker that transformed into the OBEY GIANT art campaign, with imagery that has changed the way people see art and the urban landscape. After more than 30 years, his work has evolved into an acclaimed body of art, including the 2008" Hope" portrait of Barack Obama, found at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. In 2017, the artist collaborated with Amplifier to create the "We The People" series, which was recognizable during the Women's Marches and otherrallies worldwide in defense of national and global social justice issues. Fairey's stickers, guerilla street art presence, and public murals are recognizable globally. His works are in the permanent collections of the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and many others. Shepard Fairey has painted more than110 largescale murals across six continents worldwide.
Photos
Description
Featuring 30 large silkscreen and mixed collage works on paper, FACING THE GIANT is a curated selection of Fairey’s work from the last 30 years featuring key works that highlight clear messages of empowerment.
Propagandist, arch manipulator, inciter, provocateur, these are all words used to describe the artist, Shepard Fairey, the man many hail as the originator of the modern urban art scene and an undeniable phenomenon.
FACING THE GIANT presents a survey of the last three decades of Shepard Fairey’s work. The 30 selected artworks in the exhibition are 30 x 41-inch hand painted multiples – prints on unique collaged backgrounds with additional stencilling and embellishments – done in 2019.
FACING THE GIANT is a curated series of images chosen for their importance aesthetically and conceptually, and for addressing critical topics and themes frequently recurring throughout Fairey’s career. “This show is a reflection, not a retrospective, because I’m still very actively creating new art, but I like the idea of highlighting both the continuity and evolution of my art and concepts over 30 years.” – Shepard Fairey, 2019.
VR and App Content
Collections
Photographs
Paintings Drawings & Prints
General Information
Created In
2019
Available Package Options
Turnkey
Collection and interpretation
Technical Requirements
High security
High conservation
Languages
English
Additional Information
30 works, 30 x 41-inches, hand painted multiples-prints on unique collaged backgrounds with additional stencilling and embellishments, Text panels and label copy.
Venues
Past and Future Venues
2023 - Laguna Art Museum (Laguna, CA)
2023 - McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC)
2025 - Paine Art Center (Oshkosh, WI)
