Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Presidential Seal (Red)”?
Artist Statement
PRESIDENTIAL SEAL (RED) Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 300
Summary
Presidential Seal (Red) is a 2007 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, in an edition of 300, published by Obey Giant at $35. It is the red colorway of a Presidential Seal image that also exists in a black edition. The work reinterprets the iconography of presidential authority through Fairey's graphic, propaganda-influenced style, turning an official emblem of state power into a critical, design-forward print. The source supplies title, medium, dimensions, edition size, price, and the existence of a companion black edition.
Why It Matters
Presidential Seal (Red) takes one of the most recognizable emblems of American state power and reworks it in Fairey's propaganda-inflected graphic language. That gesture, appropriating an official seal of authority, is central to his long project of questioning power and the symbols that legitimize it. The choice to render it in a charged red, with a companion black edition noted in the source, places it among his explicitly political works dealing with politics and democracy. Issued in 2007, it predates the 2008 election cycle that would make Fairey's political imagery internationally famous, so it reads as part of the groundwork for that moment. For collectors, the appeal lies in this fusion of instantly legible American iconography with Fairey's critical stance, packaged as an accessible original at $35 in an edition of 300. The print rewards those interested in how he repurposes the visual vocabulary of government and authority, a thread that connects to other works addressing patriotism, freedom, and the state. As one of a pair of colorways, it also invites collecting the set, a common motivation among those who track his editioned variations.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors focused on Fairey's political and Americana-leaning work, particularly his appropriation of state iconography. The Presidential Seal subject makes it a natural fit for collections themed around politics, democracy, and American power. Because the source notes a companion black edition, set-minded collectors may pursue both colorways. At an original $35 price and an edition of 300, it is an accessible original screen print, and its 18 x 24 inch format matches many other Obey Giant releases for easy grouped display. Its 2007 date, just before Fairey's 2008 political breakout, gives it added interest for collectors building a timeline of his engagement with American political imagery.
Historical Context
Presidential Seal (Red) dates to April 2007, positioning it just ahead of the 2008 election period when Fairey's political imagery reached its widest audience. By appropriating the presidential seal, an emblem of executive authority, the print continues his practice of repurposing the visual language of power and propaganda for critical ends. It sits within the politics-and-democracy strand of his mid-2000s catalog, alongside works engaging patriotism, freedom, and the American state. Issued as red and black colorways, it reflects his habit of releasing variant editions of a single charged image. The print thus marks part of the buildup in Fairey's Posters and Propaganda era toward the explicitly electoral work that would soon define his public profile.
FAQ
What is Presidential Seal (Red)?
It is a 2007 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 by 24 inches in an edition of 300 at an original price of $35. It reinterprets the U.S. presidential seal in Fairey's graphic, propaganda-influenced style, and it is the red colorway of an image that also exists in black.
Are there other versions of this print?
Yes. The source lists both a black and a red edition. This entry is the red colorway, and a companion black edition exists, which is why set-minded collectors sometimes pursue both versions of the image.
What is the edition size and price?
The edition is 300 and the original price was $35, per the source. It is a screen print at 18 by 24 inches, the standard Obey Giant format, making it an accessible original from Fairey's 2007 output.
Why is the subject significant?
The presidential seal is a core emblem of American executive authority. By appropriating it in his propaganda-inflected style, Fairey continues his practice of repurposing symbols of power for critical commentary, a thread tied to politics and democracy that runs through his mid-2000s work just before his 2008 political breakout.
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.