What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Nouveau (Red)”?

Artist Statement

NOUVEAU RED Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 200

Summary

Nouveau (Red) is a 2006 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant in an edition of 200, measuring 18 x 24 inches. Issued as part of a two-color release available in Black and Red variants, the print applies Fairey's decorative, Art Nouveau-influenced ornamental framing to his signature graphic vocabulary. The Red colorway gives the design a warm, high-contrast presentation. Released at an original price of $30 as a standard-format screen print, it belongs to Fairey's mid-2000s Obey Giant output and reflects his recurring use of patterned, ornamental motifs alongside his pop-culture and propaganda imagery.

Why It Matters

Nouveau (Red) showcases the decorative, pattern-driven side of Fairey's design language, the strand of his work most indebted to Art Nouveau ornament, mandala-like symmetry, and the ornamental borders that frame so many of his compositions. While much of his catalog is built on confrontational iconography, prints like this foreground the craft and design heritage underlying his style, reminding collectors that Fairey is as much a graphic designer steeped in decorative tradition as he is a political provocateur. The two-variant release in Black and Red follows his characteristic practice of issuing color editions, and the relatively small edition of 200 makes this a contained release for 2006. For collectors, the Red colorway offers a warmer, more design-forward piece that pairs well with his ornamental and pattern-based works. The print sits within a productive mid-decade window when Fairey was issuing a continuous run of standard 18 x 24 screen prints through Obey Giant, exploring decorative motifs alongside his propaganda and pop-culture imagery. It rewards collectors interested in the formal, ornamental foundations of his aesthetic rather than his overtly political statements, and it documents the consistency of his decorative vocabulary across his print catalog.

Collector Perspective

This print appeals to collectors who favor the decorative, ornamental dimension of Fairey's work over his confrontational political imagery. The Art Nouveau-influenced framing and warm Red palette make it an elegant wall piece that pairs naturally with his mandala and pattern-based prints. The standard 18 x 24 inch size frames easily, and the smaller edition of 200 gives the Red variant added appeal for collectors building a focused, design-forward grouping. Buyers who collect by color variant may seek to pair it with the Black version. Those drawn to the craft and ornamental heritage of Fairey's aesthetic, rather than his agitprop, are the core audience for this release.

Historical Context

Nouveau (Red) belongs to Fairey's prolific mid-2000s Obey Giant period, when he was steadily issuing standard-format screen prints across decorative, pop-culture, and propaganda themes. By 2006 his ornamental, Art Nouveau-influenced design vocabulary, with its symmetrical framing and patterned borders, was a well-established part of his visual signature. The two-color Black and Red release reflects his ongoing practice of issuing variant editions, a strategy that runs throughout his print catalog. The work sits within the decorative strand of his output that complements his more overtly political pieces, predating his late-decade mainstream breakthrough and underscoring the design-rooted foundations of his style.

FAQ

Related Works

Yen Pattern (Black / Red)2007 · Shares the decorative, pattern-based motif and the same Black/Red variant release approach.

Supply And Demand (Red)2004 · Comparable Red/Black two-color variant release from Fairey's mid-2000s catalog.

Motorhead (Red)2002 · Earlier Red-variant Obey Giant screen print from the same color-edition practice.

Joey Ramone (Red)2005 · Adjacent Red-colorway screen print from the surrounding mid-2000s period.

Hostile Takeover (Red)2007 · Closely contemporaneous Red/Black variant release sharing the colorway strategy.