Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Mao Collage”?
Artist Statement
MAO COLLAGE Screen Print 36 x 48 inches Edition of 70
Summary
Mao Collage is a 2003 screen print published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 70, measuring 36 x 48 inches. The large-format work renders Mao Zedong in Fairey's layered collage-and-propaganda style, extending a recurring motif he had used since the late 1990s. Its scale and small edition place it among his more ambitious political portraits of the period, part of a suite of revolutionary-figure collages alongside Marcos and Castro. The piece reworks authoritarian portraiture through Fairey's street-art lens. Source facts confirm the year, medium, dimensions, and edition size of 70.
Why It Matters
Mao Collage is a centerpiece-grade political portrait that brings together Fairey's most enduring authoritarian motif, a large 36 x 48 inch format, and a small first edition of 70. Mao imagery had appeared across Fairey's work since the late 1990s, and this large collage represents one of its most developed treatments, layering pattern, texture, and propaganda vocabulary beneath the recognizable face. It belongs to a tight 2003 suite of revolutionary-figure collages alongside Marcos Collage and Castro Collage, forming a coherent statement on power, ideology, and the visual mythology of political icons. For collectors, the combination of large scale, a small edition, and Fairey's signature subject makes it one of the more significant pieces in the catalog. The work continues Fairey's strategy of appropriating loaded political imagery and recontextualizing it through an American street-art sensibility, prompting reflection on propaganda, authority, and how revolutionary figures are commodified. Its lineage connects to earlier Mao works - Mao Banner, the 1998 Mao print, Mao Stamp - showing a sustained, evolving engagement with the same icon. With a documented edition of 70 and museum-scale dimensions, it functions as a flagship political acquisition, though the source limits its facts to year, medium, size, and edition.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors of Fairey's political and propaganda work and to those who track his recurring Mao motif across the years. At 36 x 48 inches it is a commanding centerpiece, and the small edition of 70 gives it added desirability for buyers seeking scarcer, ambitious titles. It pairs with the companion Marcos and Castro collages to build a revolutionary-figure suite, and it connects backward to earlier Mao works for collectors assembling a motif-based grouping. Its iconic subject and large collage craft make it a prestige piece that rewards both thematic and historical collecting within a politically focused Fairey collection.
Historical Context
Produced in 2003 by Obey Giant, Mao Collage continues Fairey's long engagement with Mao Zedong imagery, which had appeared in his work since the late 1990s through prints such as Mao Banner, the 1998 Mao, and Mao Stamp. This large 36 x 48 inch collage represents a more ambitious, gallery-scale treatment of the motif and sits within his early-2000s suite of revolutionary-figure collages alongside Marcos and Castro. The work reflects Fairey's practice of appropriating authoritarian iconography and recasting it through street-art language. Issued in a first edition of 70, it documents the period when Fairey was deepening his political subject matter and refining the layered collage technique central to his later practice.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Mao Collage?
It was published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 70. Combined with its large 36 x 48 inch format, that small run places it among Fairey's more ambitious and scarcer political portraits of the early 2000s.
How does it connect to Fairey's other Mao works?
Mao imagery recurs across Fairey's output, including Mao Banner, the 1998 Mao print, and Mao Stamp. This 2003 collage is one of the most developed treatments of that motif, layering pattern and propaganda vocabulary beneath the recognizable portrait.
Is it part of a series?
Yes. It belongs to a 2003 suite of revolutionary-figure collages alongside Marcos Collage and Castro Collage, all at the same 36 x 48 inch scale. Together they form a statement on political power and the visual mythology of revolutionary icons.
What are the dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print measuring 36 x 48 inches, dated 2003. The large museum-scale format makes it a centerpiece-grade work rather than a standard poster, suited to anchoring a politically themed display.
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.