Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Retro Series - Obey '95 (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
These Large Format prints were created to commemorate the release of Shepard's monograph Supply and Demand. The series displays the evolution of the GIANT ICON Face and Shepard's progression in design from 1989 to 2004. Each print measures 2.5' x 3.5' and is an edition of 89, signed and numbered. We are offering the series individually and as a set and if you purchase the set we will included a signed copy of the Supply and Demand book. $400 Individually, or $1200 for the set.
Summary
Retro Series - Obey '95 is a 2006 large-format screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 42 by 30 inches in a signed and numbered edition of 89. Part of a series created to commemorate the release of Shepard Fairey's monograph Supply and Demand, the print isolates the GIANT ICON Face as it appeared in 1995, capturing one stage in the design's evolution. The work was offered individually at $400 or as a set, with set buyers receiving a signed copy of the book. Rendered in Fairey's bold OBEY iconography, it presents the recognizable face image at a deliberately large scale.
Why It Matters
This print matters because it documents a discrete moment in the OBEY ICON's development rather than treating the face as a static logo. The Retro Series was built to show the design's progression from 1989 to 2004, and the '95 edition fixes the image as it stood in the middle of that span. For OBEY iconography collectors, that turns the print into a primary-source record of how Fairey refined his signature image over time. Its release was tied to the Supply and Demand monograph, the book that surveyed his career, and the set originally included a signed copy, deepening the connection between print and publication. At 42 by 30 inches and an edition of only 89, the large format lends the icon real presence on the wall, beyond what smaller editions offer. The work is most meaningful in context, displayed alongside the other Retro years to reveal the full arc the series was designed to trace. Its appeal rests on completeness and chronology, rewarding collectors who care about the evolution of the image rather than owning a single version of it.
Collector Perspective
This print suits OBEY iconography collectors and Fairey completists assembling the full Retro Series to trace the GIANT ICON year by year. The large 42-by-30-inch format and signed, numbered edition of 89 make it a wall statement rather than a small accent, ideal for collectors who can display the series as a grouped chronological set. Its link to the Supply and Demand monograph adds appeal for those who also collect Fairey books and ephemera. Collectors who value the clean, graphic icon will appreciate its bold presentation, while series-minded buyers will prize how the '95 edition slots between the '89, '99, and '04 prints to complete the intended progression and tell the icon's full story.
Historical Context
Released in 2006, this print belongs to Fairey's mid-career period, long after the 1989 launch of the GIANT ICON and during a phase of growing recognition. The Retro Series was created to mark the publication of Supply and Demand, a monograph surveying his work, and was designed to display the icon's evolution from 1989 to 2004. The '95 edition documents a midpoint in that span. Published by Obey Giant in large format, it reflects a moment when Fairey was consolidating and presenting his own history to collectors, packaging the icon's development into a structured series. It connects to the recurring thread of OBEY-icon editions across his career.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Retro Series - Obey '95?
It is a signed and numbered edition of 89. Published by Obey Giant in 2006 as part of the Retro Series, each example carries the artist's signature and a hand-assigned edition number within the run of 89.
How large is this print?
It measures 42 by 30 inches, described in the source as approximately 2.5 by 3.5 feet. The large format presents the GIANT ICON Face at a scale that commands wall space compared with Fairey's smaller editions.
What does the '95 in the title refer to?
The series displays the evolution of the GIANT ICON Face from 1989 to 2004, and the '95 edition captures the icon as it appeared in 1995, one waypoint in that documented design progression.
Was it part of a larger offering?
Yes. The source states the prints were offered individually at $400 or as a set for $1200, and set buyers were to receive a signed copy of the Supply and Demand monograph the series commemorates.
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.