Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Marilyn Sunrise”?
Artist Statement
Marilyn Monroe has fascinated me since I was a child. I was probably ten years old when I asked my dad, "Why is Marilyn Monroe so famous?" He answered something like "well, she was a symbol of American beauty and hope. She burned bright but tragically died young." I was intrigued and watched Marilyn's movies whenever they showed on cable. Seeing her on screen, I was mesmerized by her allure, her humor, and her vulnerability. I might not have been able to articulate it as a young person, but Marilyn had range and nuance that was magnetic, and I leaned in. Later in high school, I became interested in pop art, and one of the genre's most famous series of images is Andy Warhol's Marilyn portraits. Warhol's Marilyns are superb in their use of color and effectively achieve his goal of reducing her to a high-contrast iconic, but impersonal representation. However, iconic glamour is only one dimension of Marilyn. When I was presented with the opportunity to make art of Marilyn based on photos by Milton H. Greene from 1956, when she was at the height of her powers, I was struck by the images' intimacy and vulnerability. To me, these images called for a much more delicate approach compared to Warhol's in order to convey more nuance and humanity. Even though Marilyn showed courage and conviction fighting for civil rights, equality, and against McCarthyism, her mental health struggles are widely recognized. I felt it was important to depict her precarious dance between wide-eyed aspiration and shying away from the glare of the spotlight. I hope these images, "Marilyn Sunrise" and "Marilyn Sunset," inspire an empathetic look at Marilyn's complex humanity and remind us that we are all teetering between strength and fragility. -Shepard A portion of the proceeds from these prints will benefit The Marilyn Monroe Mental Health for the Arts Program PRINT DETAILS: Marilyn Sunrise. 24" H x 18" W. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Original illustration based on a photograph by Milton H. Greene. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $100.
Summary
Marilyn Sunrise (2026) is a 24" x 18" screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper, an original Shepard Fairey illustration based on a 1956 photograph by Milton H. Greene. Released as a signed, numbered first edition of 500, it pairs with companion print Marilyn Sunset. Rather than the high-contrast Warhol approach, Fairey renders Marilyn Monroe with a delicate, intimate treatment intended to convey her vulnerability and humanity. The portrait emphasizes the tension Fairey describes between aspiration and fragility. A portion of proceeds benefits The Marilyn Monroe Mental Health for the Arts Program, and the print ships with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity.
Why It Matters
Marilyn Sunrise is significant because it shows Fairey deliberately working against the most famous pop-art treatment of his subject. He acknowledges Andy Warhol's iconic Marilyn series and then sets out to do the opposite: where Warhol reduced Marilyn to impersonal glamour, Fairey aims for nuance, vulnerability, and humanity, basing his illustration on Milton H. Greene's intimate 1956 photographs taken when Monroe was at the height of her powers. The print also reflects Fairey's recurring interest in figures who fought for civil rights, equality, and against McCarthyism, framing Monroe not only as a beauty icon but as a person of courage and conviction. The mental-health framing, reinforced by proceeds benefiting The Marilyn Monroe Mental Health for the Arts Program, gives the work a contemporary social dimension beyond portraiture. As one half of a deliberately paired Sunrise/Sunset diptych concept, it carries added collector interest for those who value works that read both individually and as a set. The combination of a recognizable cultural icon, a charitable tie-in, signature and numbering, and Verisart authentication makes it a strong example of Fairey's late-period portrait work.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who focus on Fairey's portrait output and to pop-culture and Marilyn Monroe enthusiasts who want a treatment distinct from Warhol's. At a 24" x 18" scale with a soft, intimate rendering, it displays well as a single statement piece or alongside its companion Marilyn Sunset for a paired hang. The signature, edition numbering out of 500, and Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity provide the provenance documentation many buyers expect. Collectors drawn to socially conscious work may value the mental-health charitable association. It fits naturally into a portrait-focused Fairey collection and complements his other figures rendered with empathy and social context. The diptych pairing offers a clear collecting goal for those who like to complete sets.
Historical Context
Marilyn Sunrise sits in Fairey's contemporary portrait practice, in which he repeatedly reinterprets cultural icons through his own graphic and illustrative lens. Here he explicitly positions himself in dialogue with Andy Warhol's pop-art Marilyns, choosing a more delicate approach to foreground vulnerability rather than impersonal glamour. The work draws on Milton H. Greene's 1956 photographs of Monroe, anchoring it to a specific moment in her career. Fairey frames Monroe within his longstanding themes of civil rights, equality, and resistance to McCarthyism, while also engaging mental-health awareness through the benefiting program. Released in 2026 in a numbered edition of 500 and paired with Marilyn Sunset, it exemplifies how Fairey's later editions combine recognizable subjects, social messaging, and charitable partnerships within his established screen-print format.
FAQ
What is Marilyn Sunrise based on?
It is an original Shepard Fairey illustration based on a 1956 photograph by Milton H. Greene of Marilyn Monroe. Fairey chose a delicate approach to convey Monroe's intimacy and vulnerability, contrasting with Andy Warhol's high-contrast pop-art Marilyn series.
How large is the edition and is it signed?
Marilyn Sunrise is a numbered edition of 500, signed by Shepard Fairey. It comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart.
What are the print's specifications?
The print measures 24 inches high by 18 inches wide and is a screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. It was published by Obey Giant in 2026 at a release price of $100.
Does this print support a cause?
Yes. According to the release, a portion of the proceeds from these prints benefits The Marilyn Monroe Mental Health for the Arts Program.
Is there a companion print?
Yes. Marilyn Sunrise was released alongside Marilyn Sunset, conceived as a paired set exploring Monroe's complex humanity between strength and fragility.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.