Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Peace Bomber (Black)”?
Artist Statement
Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 300
Summary
Peace Bomber (Black) is a 2008 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, in an edition of 300 published by Obey Giant. This Black variant is one of several colorways, with the print also issued in Gold, Red, and Red/Black. The source identifies its themes as peace and anti-war, signaled by 'peace' and 'bomb' motifs, consistent with Fairey's recurring practice of reworking militaristic imagery into anti-war statements. It was originally offered at $35. The description provides only medium, dimensions, and edition size, so the precise composition beyond its peace-and-bomb subject is not detailed in the source.
Why It Matters
Peace Bomber belongs to Fairey's long-running anti-war vocabulary, in which weapons and military iconography are subverted to carry messages of peace, a strategy central to his identity as a politically engaged street artist. The title itself fuses opposites, a bomber repurposed as a vehicle for peace, which mirrors the ironic propaganda technique that runs through his catalog. Issued in 2008 in multiple colorways, including this Black version, it reflects how Fairey systematically explored a single image across several palettes to give collectors variant options and to keep editions relatively contained. The modest edition of 300 for this colorway makes the Black variant a defined, collectible slice of a small family of related prints. As an anti-war piece released during the late Bush-era American wars, it fits a broader pattern in his work of using accessible, affordable editions to spread an anti-militarist message. For collectors, it is a representative example of how Fairey channels peace-and-justice themes through reclaimed propaganda imagery rather than through portraiture or pop-culture references.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors drawn to Fairey's anti-war and peace-themed output and those who enjoy chasing colorway variants, since it exists in Black, Gold, Red, and Red/Black. The Black edition of 300 offers a defined, focused acquisition, and its peace messaging makes it a meaningful display piece for collectors who value Fairey's activist side. It pairs naturally with his other peace-motif prints in a themed grouping, and the multiple colorways allow set-building within a single image. The graphic, message-forward subject works well in spaces where the political content is the intended statement.
Historical Context
Released in January 2008, Peace Bomber sits within Fairey's prolific late-2000s period, just before the Obama HOPE image elevated his national profile. The print extends his established anti-war theme, which he had developed across earlier peace-oriented works, into a new image issued in several colorways. Its 2008 timing places it during the final year of the Bush administration and ongoing U.S. military engagements, a context in which Fairey repeatedly used reclaimed militaristic imagery to argue for peace. The Black variant is one node in a small constellation of related colorways, reflecting the studio's practice of offering an image in multiple palettes within contained editions.
FAQ
What are the edition details for the Black variant?
Peace Bomber (Black) is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 300. It was released in 2008 and originally offered at $35.
What other colorways exist?
Beyond this Black version, the source lists Peace Bomber as also issued in Gold, Red, and Red/Black, making the Black edition one of several colorway variants of the same image.
What is the theme of this print?
The source identifies its primary theme as peace and anti-war, signaled by peace and bomb motifs, consistent with Fairey's recurring practice of reworking militaristic imagery into anti-war messages.
When was it released?
It was released in January 2008, during a busy period of Fairey's editioned output shortly before the Obama HOPE image raised his national profile.
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.