Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Peace Ornament”?
Artist Statement
PEACE ORNAMENT Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 300
Summary
Peace Ornament is a 2006 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 300 at 18 x 24 inches. The image pairs Fairey's decorative ornamental patterning with peace symbolism, rendered in his signature flat, poster-style screen printing. Released October 20, 2006 at an original price of $30, the print sits within Fairey's broader peace and anti-war motifs while drawing on the holiday-season ornamental framing implied by its title. It uses bold linework and symmetrical decorative elements characteristic of Obey Giant editions from this period.
Why It Matters
Peace Ornament belongs to the cluster of mid-2000s Obey Giant editions in which Fairey wove explicit peace symbolism into a decorative, almost devotional visual language. Rather than the confrontational propaganda register of his earlier street work, this print leans on ornamental balance and pattern to make the peace message feel like a designed object of beauty. That tension between activist content and decorative form is a recurring thread in Fairey's catalog and is part of what makes the era collectible. As a first edition of 300 sold originally at an accessible $30, it represents the affordable-multiple model that built Obey Giant's collector base, where modestly sized signed editions circulated widely. For collectors, it connects to a recognizable lineage of Fairey peace works such as Peace Tree and Peace Bomber, making it a useful anchor piece for anyone assembling a thematic peace-focused grouping. Its 2006 date places it just before Fairey's national breakthrough, giving it pre-Obama-era provenance that collectors increasingly value as the artist's career arc has clarified.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors building a peace-and-anti-war themed Fairey grouping, as well as those who appreciate his decorative, ornamental compositions over his portrait work. The 18 x 24 inch format is highly displayable in a home or office and pairs well with other mid-2000s Obey editions of the same dimensions. Because it was an accessible first edition of 300 at an original $30, it represents an entry-level collecting tier rather than a trophy piece, making it attractive to newer Fairey collectors. It fits naturally alongside Peace Tree, Peace Bomber, and Rise Above Peace Patterns for anyone curating around the peace motif, and its symmetrical decorative design makes it easy to frame and integrate into a broader Obey Giant wall.
Historical Context
Peace Ornament dates to October 2006, a moment when Fairey's Obey Giant studio was steadily releasing affordable signed screen-print editions while his profile was still primarily rooted in street art and the OBEY sticker phenomenon. This precedes his 2008 Obama 'Hope' breakthrough that brought him mainstream recognition. The print reflects the period's emphasis on peace and anti-war imagery filtered through decorative, ornamental design, a register Fairey returned to repeatedly. It belongs to the Posters and Propaganda era of his output, when the editioned screen print served as both political statement and collectible object, and it foreshadows later, more elaborate peace-themed works in his catalog.
FAQ
What is Peace Ornament and when was it released?
Peace Ornament is a Shepard Fairey screen print released October 20, 2006 through Obey Giant. It combines his decorative ornamental patterning with peace symbolism in his signature flat, poster-style printing.
How large is the edition?
It was issued as a first edition of 300, published by Obey Giant. As a numbered screen-print multiple of moderate size, it represents the accessible editioned format common to Fairey's mid-2000s releases.
What are the dimensions and medium?
The print is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches. Its vertical poster format suits standard framing and displays well alongside other Obey Giant editions of the same size.
What was the original price?
The recorded original price was $30, reflecting the affordable-multiple model Obey Giant used to circulate signed editions widely among collectors during this period.
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.