Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Revolution Woman”?
Artist Statement
REVOLUTION WOMAN Screen Print 30 x 42 inches Edition of 50 $400
Summary
Revolution Woman is a 2005 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 50, measuring 30 x 42 inches. Released at an original price of $400, it is a large-format portrait of a woman cast as a figure of revolution, rendered in Fairey's high-contrast, propaganda-influenced graphic style. The print engages civil-rights and justice themes, foregrounding female resistance. With its substantial dimensions and small edition size, it belongs to the premium large-format tier of Fairey's mid-2000s screen prints, combining bold portraiture with his signature limited palette and emblematic composition.
Why It Matters
Revolution Woman is a centerpiece example of Shepard Fairey's recurring treatment of women as agents of revolution rather than passive icons. At 30 x 42 inches in an edition of only 50, it sits in the more ambitious, higher-priced tier of his catalog, distinct from his broadly available 18 x 24 inch editions of 300. The title and imagery distill Fairey's propaganda-poster sensibility into a single emblematic female figure, making it one of the clearest statements of his women-and-activism theme. Released alongside Zapatista Woman and Angela Davis in September 2005, it anchors a cluster of large-format, politically charged works that mark Fairey's expansion from street posters into monumental studio editions. For collectors, the combination of strong subject matter, commanding scale, and a genuinely small documented edition makes it a significant acquisition. It also functions as a thematic keystone, naturally heading a grouping of revolutionary-woman prints that Fairey produced over many years. Its lasting appeal rests on that union of message, scale, and limited availability, all supported by the source record rather than on inflated rarity or value claims.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals strongly to collectors building around Shepard Fairey's revolutionary-woman and civil-rights themes, and to those seeking a large-format anchor piece. At 30 x 42 inches it dominates a wall and works as a focal point rather than part of a grid. The small edition of 50 and higher original price mark it as a serious acquisition aimed at committed collectors. Its emblematic title makes it a natural centerpiece for a thematic grouping that can include Zapatista Woman, Revolutionary Woman With Brush, and Peace Woman. Buyers drawn to Fairey's propaganda aesthetic and message-driven portraiture will find it a defining example of that strand.
Historical Context
Revolution Woman belongs to Shepard Fairey's mid-2000s run of large-format, politically driven screen prints, a tier separate from his accessible smaller editions. Dated September 2005 alongside Zapatista Woman and Angela Davis, it is part of a cohort of 30 x 42 inch, edition-of-50 works centered on revolutionary and civil-rights subjects. The print crystallizes Fairey's enduring portrayal of women as figures of resistance, a theme he carried forward into later editions such as Revolutionary Woman With Brush and Peace Woman. Produced before the 2008 Obama "Hope" image, it documents the ambitious, message-forward direction of his studio practice as he scaled up from street wheatpaste work into monumental prints.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Revolution Woman?
It was published by Obey Giant in 2005 as a first edition of 50, a small run compared with Fairey's standard editions of 300. This places it among his more limited large-format screen prints of the period.
What are its dimensions?
Revolution Woman is a large-format screen print measuring 30 x 42 inches. The substantial scale makes it a statement piece, distinct from the more common 18 x 24 inch format used across much of Fairey's catalog.
What was the original release price?
The source lists an original price of $400, reflecting its large 30 x 42 inch format and small edition of 50, well above the $30 typical of Fairey's standard screen prints of the era.
What is the subject of the print?
The print depicts a woman cast as a figure of revolution, aligning with Fairey's recurring portrayal of women as agents of resistance and his engagement with civil-rights and justice themes through propaganda-influenced portraiture.
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.