Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “POW”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch Screen Print Signed Edition of 300. Limit 2 per person. Release Date: 12/04/2007
Summary
POW is a 2007 signed screen print, 18 x 24 inches, issued in an edition of 300 with a stated limit of two per person and a release date in April 2007. Published by Obey Giant, it carries a pop-culture and portraits/legacy framing in the source. The available description is brief, supplying medium, dimensions, signed status, edition size, and purchase limit rather than detailed visual content, so the work is documented primarily by its production facts and its place in Fairey's 2007 screen-print run.
Why It Matters
POW belongs to Fairey's dense 2007 screen-print output, a stretch when Obey Giant released a steady stream of signed editions at accessible scales. Its significance for collectors rests on the documented production facts: a signed edition of 300 with a two-per-person purchase limit, a detail that reflects how Obey Giant managed demand for these drops. The source description is brief, so the work is best understood through its release mechanics and era rather than a deep visual narrative. Even so, the signed status and modest edition size make it a legitimate original within Fairey's catalog, the kind of mid-2000s release that built the broad collector base now associated with his name. For those assembling a chronological view of his 2007 prints, POW fills a slot in that timeline. Because the source offers limited descriptive content, claims about its imagery and meaning should stay cautious, and its importance is best framed as a representative signed edition from a highly productive period rather than a marquee statement piece.
Collector Perspective
POW suits collectors who value signed Fairey originals from the productive 2007 era and who track his releases chronologically. The documented signed status and edition of 300 make it a genuine original at an accessible scale, while the two-per-person purchase limit noted in the source reflects the controlled-drop model collectors of this period recognize. At 18 x 24 inches it shares the standard format of many Obey Giant prints, making it easy to display alongside companions from the same window. Because the source description is limited, buyers drawn to rich narrative content may find less to go on here; the appeal is the verified production facts and the signature rather than an elaborate documented backstory.
Historical Context
POW dates to April 2007, within Fairey's high-volume mid-2000s screen-print run under Obey Giant. The source records it as a signed edition of 300 with a purchase limit of two per person, details that illustrate the controlled-release approach that characterized his drops in this period. With only a brief description available, the work is best situated by its production context: one of many signed editions Fairey issued as the OBEY operation matured into a steady studio practice. This places POW firmly in the Posters and Propaganda era of his catalog, a time when accessible signed prints expanded his collector base, even where individual releases carry limited documented narrative.
FAQ
What is POW?
POW is a 2007 signed screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant. It measures 18 by 24 inches and was issued in an edition of 300. The source notes a purchase limit of two per person and a release date in April 2007.
Is the print signed and how many were made?
Yes, the source states it is a signed edition of 300. The two-per-person purchase limit noted in the description reflects how Obey Giant managed demand for the release. It is a screen print at the standard 18 by 24 inch format.
Why is there limited information about this print?
The available source description is brief, supplying medium, dimensions, signed status, edition size, and purchase limit rather than detailed visual content. As a result, it is documented primarily by its production facts and its place within Fairey's busy 2007 screen-print run.
Where does POW fit in Fairey's output?
It falls within Fairey's high-volume mid-2000s screen-print period under Obey Giant, when he issued many signed editions through controlled drops. It represents a typical signed release from that era rather than a marquee statement piece.
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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.