What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “1984.0”?

Artist Statement

George Orwell’s timeless satire of a revolution that went wrong – Animal Farm – and chilling portrait of a totalitarian regime – Nineteen Eighty-Four – have become classic works of Twentieth century literature. With these incredible new Shepard Fairey pop-art covers both books will be rediscovered by another generation of readers. To celebrate these new editions, Shepard Fairey has exclusively produced 200 A2 individually signed and numbered lithographs of both posters.

Summary

1984.0 is a 2008 offset lithograph by Shepard Fairey, published by Penguin Books in an edition of 200 at an original price of $40. Measuring 18 x 24 inches (described as A2), the print derives from Fairey's pop-art cover design for the Penguin reissue of George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Per the source, Fairey produced 200 individually signed and numbered lithographs of this poster to celebrate the new editions. The work translates his bold graphic style into a literary book-cover commission, pairing his propaganda-inflected aesthetic with one of the twentieth century's defining novels about totalitarianism and surveillance.

Why It Matters

1984.0 stands out as a publisher commission that placed Shepard Fairey's graphic language onto a canonical work of literature. The source notes that Fairey designed new pop-art covers for Penguin's reissues of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm, then produced 200 signed and numbered lithographs of each to mark the editions. That pairing is unusually resonant: Orwell's dystopia of surveillance and totalitarian control aligns closely with the themes of authority, propaganda, and obedience that run through Fairey's own Obey project. The print thus operates on two levels, as a commercial book-cover design and as a thematically apt extension of Fairey's critique of power. At an edition of just 200, individually signed and numbered, it is meaningfully scarcer than his typical Obey Giant screen prints, and the Penguin publishing pedigree adds documentary weight. For collectors, it matters as a crossover work that bridges literature, design, and Fairey's political iconography, and it forms a natural diptych with the companion Animal Farm lithograph.

Collector Perspective

1984.0 appeals to collectors at the intersection of Fairey's art, book design, and literary culture, as well as those drawn to surveillance and anti-authoritarian themes. The Penguin Books pedigree and the link to Orwell's novel give it crossover appeal beyond the usual Fairey audience. At an edition of 200, individually signed and numbered per the source, it is scarcer than his standard screen prints, which heightens its interest for collectors who prioritize smaller runs. The 18 x 24 inch A2 format frames cleanly, and it pairs as a diptych with the companion Animal Farm lithograph. It fits collections organized around surveillance, propaganda critique, or Fairey's design collaborations.

Historical Context

1984.0 dates to November 2008 and represents Shepard Fairey's move into literary publishing collaboration. Commissioned by Penguin Books, Fairey created pop-art covers for new editions of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm and produced 200 signed, numbered A2 lithographs of each poster to celebrate them. The commission sits naturally within Fairey's arc because Orwell's themes of surveillance, propaganda, and obedience to authority echo the very ideas his Obey project had long interrogated. Unlike most of his Obey Giant screen prints, this work was issued through a major publisher as an offset lithograph in a smaller edition, marking a distinct strand of his 2008 output. It shows Fairey applying his recognizable graphic vocabulary to mainstream cultural artifacts, broadening the reach of his style while reinforcing its thematic core.

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Related Works

Animal Farm2008 · Companion Penguin Books lithograph of the same commission, forming a direct Orwell diptych.

POW2007 · Adjacent pop-culture collaboration print sharing the collaborations and pop culture theme.

Jaws Wave2009 · Another pop-culture-referenced Fairey print closely related in classification.

Godfather - Sonny2006 · Earlier film and literary pop-culture print in the same thematic family.

Smokey Robinson Print (Gold)2010 · Related collaborations and pop culture release within Fairey's catalog.

John & Yoko Canvas2010 · Pop-culture portrait collaboration sharing the same classification.