Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “David”?
Artist Statement
This print is 1 of 4 released at the Subliminal Projects Gallery for "Art Is Not Peace But War" show on April 5, 2008. There were a limited number of matching sets sold by the gallery. The prints are from photographs taken by Sybille Prou (Blek's wife) of his work on the streets. The prints are signed by Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey.
Summary
David is a 2008 screen print released April 5, 2008 by Subliminal Projects for the "Art Is Not Peace But War" show. Measuring 18 by 24 inches in a First Edition of 100, it is one of four prints made from photographs of Blek le Rat's street work taken by Sybille Prou. The print is signed by Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey. It translates a Blek le Rat street stencil into a three-way-signed gallery edition, carrying the peace and anti-war themes that frame both the exhibition and the wider collaboration.
Why It Matters
David belongs to a documented collaboration between stencil pioneer Blek le Rat and Shepard Fairey, issued through Fairey's Subliminal Projects gallery. The source confirms it as one of four prints made from Sybille Prou's photographs of Blek's street work and signed by all three collaborators, giving it provenance and a cross-artist narrative that solo Fairey prints do not carry. Built from an actual street stencil, the image preserves Blek's guerrilla practice in collectible form while Fairey's role as publisher amplifies it. With a stated First Edition of only 100, it sits in the scarcer tier of this release group. For collectors, the appeal is the bridge between European stencil tradition and American street art, anchored to a specific dated 2008 exhibition. The peace and anti-war framing places it within Fairey's continued use of public imagery for social commentary, and the triple signature marks it as a collaborative object rather than a standalone graphic. As one piece of a matching four-print set, it additionally rewards collectors assembling the full group, and its small edition and clear exhibition tie give it stronger historical anchoring than many open-ended prints.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors focused on street art lineage and authored collaborations rather than Fairey's most recognizable icons. The confirmed three-way signature of Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey makes it attractive for provenance-driven buyers and stencil-history collections. At 18 by 24 inches it works as a standalone piece or alongside the other three prints from the same April 5, 2008 show, which draws collectors chasing the complete matching set. The First Edition of 100 suits those who favor smaller editions with a documented exhibition backstory. It fits a peace-and-anti-war or collaboration-themed grouping and rewards owners who value seeing a transient street stencil preserved as a signed, dated gallery edition.
Historical Context
This print is rooted in Fairey's late-2000s gallery program at Subliminal Projects in Los Angeles, which hosted exhibitions and collaborative releases. The source ties it to the "Art Is Not Peace But War" show on April 5, 2008, as one of four prints drawn from Sybille Prou's photographs of Blek le Rat's street work. Blek le Rat is a foundational figure in stencil street art, and this set documents an exchange between him and Fairey's OBEY operation. Within Fairey's arc, the piece reflects his function as a publisher and curator who elevated peers, not only as a solo artist. The peace and anti-war framing aligns with his broader practice of deploying accessible art for social messaging in this period, while the triple-signed, exhibition-specific format distinguishes it from his core iconographic series.
FAQ
Is this a collaboration print?
Yes. The source describes it as one of four prints made from Sybille Prou's photographs of Blek le Rat's street work and signed by Blek le Rat, Sybille Prou, and Shepard Fairey, making it a documented three-artist collaboration released through Subliminal Projects.
What show was it released for?
According to the record, it was released at the Subliminal Projects Gallery for the "Art Is Not Peace But War" show on April 5, 2008. A limited number of matching sets of the four prints were sold by the gallery.
What is the edition size?
The source lists a First Edition of 100, published by Subliminal Projects in 2008. An HPM version is also noted among the editions, but this listing refers to the screen-print First Edition of 100.
What are the dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print measuring 18 by 24 inches, released in 2008. These details come directly from the record, which lists the medium as screen print and a published price of 100.
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.