Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Ramone Poster”?
Artist Statement
RAMONE POSTER Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 300 This print is part of the Punk set, which was released just after the death of Joe Strummer, in 2002.
Summary
Ramone Poster is a 2002 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 300, measuring 18 x 24 inches. Part of his Punk set, released just after Joe Strummer's death in 2002, the print honors the Ramones, a foundational American punk band, rendered in Fairey's high-contrast graphic poster style. The work uses bold flat fields and stylized portraiture typical of his early-2000s music prints. The source description is limited beyond the Punk-set context and core production facts, situating it within his music and counterculture themes alongside the other Punk portraits.
Why It Matters
Ramone Poster belongs to Fairey's Punk set, the cluster of portraits released around Joe Strummer's 2002 death that pays tribute to foundational punk figures. The Ramones occupy a near-mythic place in punk history as one of the genre's originating American bands, and their inclusion underscores Fairey's intent to honor the full lineage of the music that shaped him. As part of this cohesive grouping with the Strummer, Rotten, and Rollins posters, the print connects Fairey's graphic practice directly to the DIY and counterculture roots of his aesthetic. With a first edition of 300, it is a defined edition documenting an essential punk subject. The source detail is limited beyond the Punk-set framing, so the specific imagery is best read cautiously, but its placement in the set gives it clear significance. For collectors assembling the complete Punk set, Ramone Poster is a necessary component, valued as a tribute to one of punk's founding acts and as part of the early-2000s music output that reveals the countercultural foundation of Fairey's career.
Collector Perspective
Ramone Poster appeals to collectors of Fairey's punk portraiture and to Ramones fans, and it is an essential piece for anyone building the complete Punk set. At 18 x 24 inches it frames cleanly and groups naturally with the Strummer, Rotten, and Rollins posters from the same year. The edition of 300 makes it moderately limited, suitable for collectors seeking an authentic early Fairey music print. Because the source detail is limited, it is valued most as part of the cohesive Punk-set grouping rather than as a standalone marquee work, where its tribute to a founding punk band adds breadth to a music-themed or counterculture display.
Historical Context
Ramone Poster dates to 2002, within Fairey's posters-and-propaganda period and his active early-2000s screen-printing run, years before his 2008 Obama-era prominence. It is part of the Punk set released around the time of Joe Strummer's death that year. The Ramones were among the founding American punk bands, and their inclusion reflects Fairey's intent to honor the genre's roots across both American and British figures within the set. Within his arc, the print documents the deep influence of punk and DIY culture on the graphic and political sensibility that runs throughout his broader catalog.
FAQ
What is Ramone Poster?
Ramone Poster is a 2002 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant, honoring the Ramones in his high-contrast graphic poster style. It is part of his Punk set, released just after Joe Strummer's death in 2002. The source provides limited detail beyond this context.
What are the dimensions and edition size?
The print measures 18 x 24 inches and was released as a first edition of 300 screen prints by Obey Giant in 2002, making it a moderately limited edition from Fairey's early catalog.
What set does this print belong to?
Ramone Poster is part of Fairey's Punk set, released just after Joe Strummer's 2002 death. The set includes the Strummer, Rotten, and Rollins posters, forming a cohesive grouping of punk portraits in his catalog.
Why honor the Ramones?
The Ramones were among the founding American punk bands, and their inclusion in the Punk set reflects Fairey's intent to honor punk's roots. The print documents the counterculture influences underpinning his graphic vocabulary, though source detail beyond the set context is limited.
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.