Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Glasses (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
GLASSES Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 250
Summary
Glasses is a 1997 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a First Edition of 250, measuring 18 x 24 inches on paper. The record files it under collaborations/pop culture with no secondary theme. As a 1997 Obey Giant edition with a larger run than many of its contemporaries, it belongs to Fairey's early studio output of bold graphic prints. Source detail is limited to title, medium, dimensions, and edition size, so the description stays close to those documented facts.
Why It Matters
Glasses belongs to the 1997 cohort of Obey Giant screen prints through which Fairey built out his early iconography, and it is notable within that group for its comparatively larger edition of 250, roughly double the run of many sibling prints from the same year. That larger size makes it somewhat more available than the editions of 100 around it, which is a meaningful distinction for collectors weighing scarcity. The record's pop-culture classification places it among the appropriated-image works that characterized Fairey's late-1990s output, when he was rapidly testing how borrowed visuals could be recoded through the OBEY system. Because the source description is minimal, interpretation of the specific image should remain cautious; what is firmly grounded is the 1997 date, the screen-print medium, the 18 x 24 format, and the edition of 250. The print's significance is best framed as part of this early body of work, with its relatively higher edition size shaping both its accessibility and its place within a chronological OBEY collection rather than any claim of singular rarity.
Collector Perspective
Glasses suits collectors assembling Fairey's early 1997 Obey Giant editions, particularly those who want an accessible entry point given its larger edition of 250. Compared with the editions of 100 around it, this larger run typically makes it easier to locate, a useful trait for newer collectors. The 18 x 24 format frames cleanly and groups well with other late-1990s OBEY prints. Because the source offers little visual detail, the date and the edition size are the dependable points to lead with. It fits a chronological collection of early Obey Giant work and pairs naturally with its 1997-1998 contemporaries.
Historical Context
Published by Obey Giant in 1997 in an edition of 250, Glasses sits in Fairey's early studio-edition era, a prolific period of screen-print production that established the OBEY visual vocabulary. Its larger run distinguishes it from the many editions of 100 issued the same year, indicating it was produced in greater quantity within the project's early output. It belongs to the same late-1990s cluster as the figure and pop-culture prints in its related set, a body of work in which Fairey was rapidly iterating on appropriated imagery. As an early piece, it documents the formative period of the OBEY project rather than a later, more politically explicit phase.
FAQ
What is Glasses?
Glasses is a 1997 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant. It measures 18 x 24 inches on paper and was issued in a First Edition of 250, placing it among Fairey's early pop-culture Obey Giant prints.
How large is the edition?
The record lists a First Edition of 250. That is a larger run than many 1997 Obey Giant prints, which were often editions of 100, so it tends to be comparatively more available.
What are its dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print on paper measuring 18 inches wide by 24 inches high, published by Obey Giant in 1997.
Is this a rare print?
With an edition of 250 it is more available than the editions of 100 from the same period. It is an early work, but its edition size points to moderate rather than high scarcity per the record.
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.