Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Giant Power (Artist Proof Version)”?
Artist Statement
Giant Power AP 18 x 24 screen print on paper It is believed that this was intended to be the final design for this print, but the design was changed after these 10-20 APs were produced.
Summary
Giant Power is a 1997 screen print on paper by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant at 18 x 24 inches. This Artist Proof Version exists in a believed run of roughly 10-20 APs and, per the record, was intended to be the final design before the artwork was changed. The image centers on Fairey's power and energy imagery, drawing on the artist's recurring interest in consumerism, power, and environmental themes. As an early proof tied to a design that was subsequently revised, it documents a transitional moment in the print's development rather than the released edition.
Why It Matters
Giant Power sits in the foundational period of Fairey's studio output, when the OBEY project was moving from street stickers toward editioned screen prints. What distinguishes this object is its status as an Artist Proof of a design the record describes as intended to be final before being changed, with only an estimated 10-20 APs produced. That makes it a process artifact: evidence of a decision point rather than the finished, widely distributed image. Collectors who value the working history of an artist gravitate toward proofs like this because they sit closer to the studio than the released edition. The print also previews Fairey's enduring engagement with the language of power and consumerism, themes he would return to across decades in works addressing energy, corporations, and the environment. Because the source frames the AP count cautiously ('it is believed'), its precise scarcity should be treated as approximate rather than confirmed. Within a 1997 cohort dominated by editions of 100 to 250, an AP-only run of this size is comparatively limited, which is the basis for its collector interest. Its value rests on documented context, not on speculative pricing or authentication claims.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to Fairey completists and collectors who specifically chase artist proofs and process pieces over standard editions. The draw is provenance and rarity of state: an AP tied to a design that was reportedly revised before release carries a story most editioned prints do not. At 18 x 24 inches it frames cleanly for a wall, and its early-career date makes it a natural anchor for a chronological OBEY collection. It fits best alongside other late-1990s Obey Giant screen prints and works exploring power and consumerism. Because the believed AP count is small and unconfirmed, buyers should treat scarcity as a feature to verify rather than assume, and lean on the documented production note as the core narrative when displaying or describing the piece.
Historical Context
Dated 1997 and published by Obey Giant, this print belongs to Fairey's early studio-edition era, a period when the OBEY/Andre the Giant iconography was expanding from street campaign into collectible screen prints. The record's note that this Artist Proof Version represents a design believed intended as final before being changed places it at a concrete revision point in the print's history, making it a marker of how Fairey iterated designs before committing to a released edition. Its engagement with power and consumerism foreshadows themes he developed at much larger scale in later energy- and environment-focused works. As an AP rather than a numbered edition, it documents the studio process of this formative period more directly than the released versions that followed.
FAQ
What is the Artist Proof Version of Giant Power?
It is a 1997 Obey Giant screen print, 18 x 24 inches on paper. Per the record, this version is believed to have been intended as the final design before the artwork was changed, with roughly 10-20 artist proofs produced before that revision.
How many of these artist proofs exist?
The record states it is believed that only about 10-20 APs were produced. This figure is described cautiously in the source, so the precise count should be treated as an estimate rather than a confirmed edition size.
What are the dimensions and medium?
Giant Power (Artist Proof Version) is a screen print on paper measuring 18 inches wide by 24 inches high, published by Obey Giant in 1997.
Why is this version notable?
Because the record describes it as an artist proof of a design intended to be final before being changed, it functions as a process artifact documenting a revision point, rather than the standard released edition of the image.
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.