Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Black Sabbath (Red)”?
Artist Statement
I've been a fan of Black Sabbath for a very long time. Coincidentally, a friend of mine happens to work for Ozzy, and has planted a lot of my art in the Ozzy camp, whether simply showing it to Sharon and Ozzy or getting Jack to wear Obey shirts on the TV show. In 2004, they asked me to make the VIP band and crew shirts, which said "Black Sabbath has a Posse," with each member of the band in the original Andre sticker format. This piece here is from the poster and T-shirt I designed for Sabbath's 2005 tour.
Summary
Black Sabbath (Red) is a 2005 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 300 at 18 x 24 inches, issued in Orange and Red colorways. Per Fairey's own account, the piece derives from the poster and T-shirt he designed for Black Sabbath's 2005 tour, following a 2004 commission to create VIP band and crew shirts reading "Black Sabbath has a Posse," with each member rendered in the original Andre sticker format. It fuses heavy-metal music culture with Fairey's OBEY iconography.
Why It Matters
Black Sabbath (Red) is one of the clearest documented intersections of Fairey's OBEY iconography and a major music act. By his own account, the work grew out of a real working relationship: a friend who worked for Ozzy planted Fairey's art in the Sabbath camp, leading to a 2004 commission for VIP band and crew shirts that read "Black Sabbath has a Posse," each member styled in the original Andre the Giant sticker format. This print descends directly from the poster and shirt Fairey designed for the band's 2005 tour, making it a tangible artifact of an authentic artist-band collaboration rather than a speculative fan tribute. For collectors, that provenance, narrated in the source by Fairey himself, gives the piece unusual depth: it is simultaneously a music collectible, an OBEY-iconography work, and evidence of how Fairey embedded his sticker aesthetic into mainstream rock culture. The "has a Posse" framing ties it explicitly to his foundational Andre campaign, showing him applying that early street-art language to a legendary metal band. The availability of two colorways (Orange and Red) adds variant interest. In a database, the print stands out for its rich, source-supported backstory and its bridge between counterculture music and Fairey's core iconography.
Collector Perspective
This print is a strong pick for collectors at the crossroads of Fairey's OBEY iconography and music memorabilia, and for Black Sabbath or Ozzy fans seeking a credible, artist-authored piece. The documented connection to the band's 2005 tour poster and the "has a Posse" Andre-format shirts gives it collectible narrative weight beyond its graphics. Two colorways, Orange and Red, offer variant-collecting appeal. At 18 x 24 inches it frames cleanly and anchors a music-themed wall. The edition of 300 keeps it accessible. It fits both a music-series collection and an OBEY-icon grouping, bridging the two.
Historical Context
Black Sabbath (Red) dates to 2005 and stems from Fairey's collaboration with the band, which began with a 2004 commission for VIP shirts reading "Black Sabbath has a Posse," each member rendered in the original Andre sticker format he first used in his late-1980s campaign. The print derives from the poster and T-shirt he designed for Sabbath's 2005 tour. It sits within his mid-2000s music-and-counterculture work, before his 2008 mainstream breakthrough, and exemplifies how he extended his foundational OBEY 'posse' language into mainstream rock collaborations during this period.
FAQ
What is Black Sabbath (Red) and where did it come from?
It is a 2005 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches in an edition of 300. By Fairey's account, it derives from the poster and T-shirt he designed for Black Sabbath's 2005 tour.
How did Fairey connect with Black Sabbath?
Fairey states a friend who worked for Ozzy planted his art in the Sabbath camp. In 2004 the band asked him to make VIP band and crew shirts reading 'Black Sabbath has a Posse,' with each member rendered in the original Andre sticker format.
What colorways exist?
The source lists Orange and Red editions. The variant offering adds collecting interest. Each was published by Obey Giant in 2005 at an original price of $30, sized 18 x 24 inches in an edition of 300.
What is the 'has a Posse' reference?
It ties the work to Fairey's foundational Andre the Giant 'Andre the Giant has a Posse' campaign. For Black Sabbath he adapted that format, rendering each band member in the original sticker style, linking the band to his core OBEY iconography.
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.