Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Hostile Takeover (Red)”?
Artist Statement
HOSTILE TAKEOVER (RED) Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 300
Summary
Hostile Takeover (Red) is a 2007 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant in an edition of 300 at 18 x 24 inches, produced in Black and Red colorways. The title evokes corporate-critique and power themes, rendered in Fairey's bold, high-contrast graphic poster style. With a brief description confirming medium, size, and edition, the work sits within his pop-culture and propaganda-inflected output of the period. The Red and Black variants give the design two documented color treatments within a single release.
Why It Matters
Hostile Takeover (Red) taps into Fairey's recurring critique of corporate power and capitalist aggression, themes he frequently translates into stark, propaganda-styled graphics. The title's language of takeover and domination frames the work within his broader skepticism of concentrated economic and institutional power, a thread that runs through much of his political output. Because the description is concise, its significance rests on this thematic placement and on its formal qualities rather than an extended narrative, so it is best read as part of his corporate-critique and propaganda family. The Black and Red colorways give variant collectors two versions of the design to pursue, while the edition of 300 keeps it accessible. For collectors, its appeal lies in the clarity of its graphic statement and its fit within a politically themed grouping that includes contemporaneous works addressing power and authority. It rewards buyers who value Fairey's ability to compress critiques of corporate and institutional control into a single striking image, and it pairs naturally with his other 2007 political and pop-culture screen prints.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors of Fairey's politically themed and corporate-critique work who want a bold, legible graphic statement. The Black and Red colorways attract variant collectors tracking color treatments of a single design. At an edition of 300 it is accessible rather than scarce, fitting buyers assembling a political or pop-culture grouping from 2007. Its 18 x 24 format frames cleanly and its high-contrast palette displays well alongside other Obey Giant prints. It complements same-year works addressing power and authority and slots comfortably into a thematic Fairey collection centered on critiques of corporate and institutional control.
Historical Context
Released in April 2007 by Obey Giant, Hostile Takeover (Red) belongs to Fairey's Posters and Propaganda era, a period of steady editioned output blending pop-culture imagery with political critique. The corporate-power framing connects it to a continuing strand in his work that questions concentrated economic and institutional control, deploying propaganda-style graphics to make the point. Issued in Black and Red colorways, it reflects the studio's practice of releasing color variants of a single design. It sits among his 2007 screen prints that engage themes of power and authority, documenting the political bent of his work in the years leading into his more prominent Obama-era output.
FAQ
What is the theme of Hostile Takeover (Red)?
The title evokes corporate power and aggressive domination, aligning with Fairey's recurring critique of concentrated economic and institutional control. It is rendered in his propaganda-styled graphic poster manner and was released in 2007 by Obey Giant.
What colorways exist?
The design was produced in Black and Red variants, giving collectors who track colorways two versions of the print to pursue within a single release.
What are the edition size and dimensions?
It is a screen print in an edition of 300, sized 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2007. The original release price was listed at $35.
How does it fit with other Fairey prints?
It belongs to his corporate-critique and pop-culture output, sitting alongside works like Supply And Demand and other 2007 prints engaging themes of power and authority.
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.