Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Love Unites”?
Artist Statement
The Love Unites poster will go on Sale, Friday, 11/21 at a random time. This print aims to raise awareness and funds for the movement to overturn Prop. 8. Any person suspected of EBAYing this print will be automatically banned from OBEYGIANT.com. No Exceptions. Print is 24×36, Edition of 450, and costs $50.
Summary
Love Unites is a 2008 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 450 at 24 x 36 inches and priced at $50. The print was created to raise awareness and funds for the movement to overturn Proposition 8, California's ballot measure against same-sex marriage. It went on sale Friday, November 21, 2008 at a randomized time. Fairey warned that anyone suspected of reselling the print on eBay would be banned from OBEYGIANT.com, underscoring the cause-driven, non-speculative intent behind the release.
Why It Matters
Love Unites is one of Shepard Fairey's clearest statements of social-justice advocacy through print, tied directly to the campaign to overturn California's Proposition 8 and support marriage equality. Released just weeks after the November 2008 election, it shows Fairey channeling his platform toward a specific civil rights fight rather than broad symbolism. The source emphasizes its activist purpose: proceeds aimed to raise awareness and funds for the movement, and Fairey explicitly threatened to ban anyone reselling it on eBay, a striking anti-speculation stance that frames the print as a tool of the cause rather than a commodity. For collectors, this gives the work documentary weight as an artifact of a pivotal LGBTQ rights moment in American politics. The edition of 450 at an accessible $50 price reflects Fairey's intent to put it in supporters' hands broadly. Its large 24 x 36 inch format and message-forward design make it a recognizable statement piece. Within his catalog it stands among the most pointed examples of Fairey using a release to fund and amplify an active social movement.
Collector Perspective
Love Unites appeals to collectors focused on Fairey's activist and social-justice output, as well as those who value art tied to LGBTQ rights and the Proposition 8 fight. Its origin as a fundraising and awareness print gives it meaning beyond decoration, attracting buyers who connect with the cause. The edition of 450 makes it moderately available, and the large 24 x 36 inch size gives it strong wall presence as a statement piece. Fairey's explicit anti-reselling stance signals it was meant for genuine supporters rather than speculators, which collectors of his cause-driven work often appreciate. It fits alongside his broader OBEY-branded and politically engaged releases and complements collections built around social-movement art.
Historical Context
Love Unites dates to November 2008, immediately following the election in which California voters passed Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage. Fairey's release entered directly into the backlash, aiming to fund and publicize the effort to overturn the measure. The print belongs to the wave of his politically engaged 2008 work, when his national visibility was peaking around the Obama campaign, and shows him redirecting that attention toward a state-level civil rights cause. His warning against eBay resale reflects a recurring tension in his practice between accessibility and a secondary market. The piece sits within his Obama-era body of socially conscious Obey Giant releases rather than his earlier guerrilla street output.
FAQ
What cause does Love Unites support?
The print was created to raise awareness and funds for the movement to overturn Proposition 8, the California ballot measure against same-sex marriage. Released by Obey Giant on November 21, 2008, it directed proceeds toward that effort, making it one of Fairey's explicit LGBTQ rights and marriage-equality fundraising works.
What are the edition details?
Love Unites is a screen print in an edition of 450, measuring 24 x 36 inches, published by Obey Giant and priced at $50. It went on sale Friday, November 21, 2008 at a random time, a release method Fairey often used to give buyers a fairer chance.
Why did Fairey warn against eBay resale?
Because the print was a fundraiser for a social cause, Fairey stated that any person suspected of reselling it on eBay would be automatically banned from OBEYGIANT.com, with no exceptions. The warning underscored that the release was meant for genuine supporters rather than speculators.
How big is the print?
Love Unites measures 24 x 36 inches, a large format that gives it strong presence as a wall piece. The source lists the dimensions and confirms it is a screen print, not an offset reproduction.
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.