Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Rose Girl”?
Artist Statement
This print is a collaboration with NYC-Based Photographer and Filmmaker Kai Regan. Shepard used a photograph of a model that Kai shot as the subject of this illustration and print.
Summary
Rose Girl is a 2008 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 450 at 18 x 24 inches and priced at $100. It is a collaboration with NYC-based photographer and filmmaker Kai Regan, with Fairey using a photograph of a model that Regan shot as the subject of the illustration and print. The work combines Regan's photographic source with Fairey's stylized graphic treatment and floral motif, pairing a portrait subject with rose imagery in his characteristic decorative-meets-graphic visual language.
Why It Matters
Rose Girl is part of Shepard Fairey's 2008 collaborative series with NYC-based photographer and filmmaker Kai Regan, in which Fairey reinterprets Regan's photographs of models into his own stylized screen prints. The work pairs portraiture with a rose and floral motif, connecting it to Fairey's recurring use of nature and floral symbolism as decorative framing for figures. This blend of photographic sourcing, portrait subject and ornamental floral elements is a hallmark of his more design-forward output. For collectors, the print carries the appeal of a documented collaboration, giving it richer provenance than a solo release, alongside the recognizable beauty of its subject. The edition of 450 keeps it moderately available, while the $100 release price set it slightly above some companion releases of the period. Its 18 x 24 inch format makes it an approachable display size. Within Fairey's catalog, Rose Girl sits alongside its sibling Kai Regan collaboration Peace Guard, sharing the same source relationship and release window, and it bridges his portrait and floral threads. As an attractive, collaboration-rooted print combining figure and flora, it represents the decorative side of his 2008 practice.
Collector Perspective
Rose Girl appeals to collectors who favor Fairey's decorative and portrait-based work, especially those drawn to his floral and nature motifs. Its credited collaboration with photographer Kai Regan adds provenance interest and ties it to companion prints from the same partnership. The rose imagery and stylized female subject give it broad aesthetic appeal, making it accessible to buyers beyond his political collectors. The edition of 450 makes it reasonably available, and the 18 x 24 inch size suits a range of display spaces. It pairs naturally with Peace Guard from the same Kai Regan series and with Fairey's other floral works, fitting collections organized around either his collaborative practice or his nature and floral symbolism.
Historical Context
Rose Girl dates to December 2008, part of Fairey's busy late-2000s collaborative output. It belongs to the same Kai Regan partnership that produced Peace Guard, in which Fairey translated the photographer's images of models into screen prints. The floral framing connects it to a decorative thread that runs through much of his work, where roses, vines and mandalas surround portrait subjects. Released during his peak Obama-era visibility, the print represents the lighter, more design-oriented side of his catalog rather than his overt activist statements. It sits within his Obama-era collaborations and pop-culture releases, and its floral motif links it to later geometric rose and floral works in his catalog.
FAQ
Who is Rose Girl a collaboration with?
Rose Girl is a collaboration with NYC-based photographer and filmmaker Kai Regan. Fairey used a photograph of a model that Regan shot as the subject of his illustration and print, the same source relationship behind the companion print Peace Guard from 2008.
What are the edition details?
Rose Girl is a screen print in an edition of 450, measuring 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in 2008 and priced at $100. The source confirms these production details, with the price set somewhat above some of its companion releases from the same period.
How does Rose Girl relate to Peace Guard?
Both are 2008 screen prints from Fairey's collaboration with photographer Kai Regan, each built from a photograph of a model that Regan shot. They share the same source partnership and release window, making them natural companion pieces within his collaborative catalog.
What is the floral element in the print?
The source assigns Rose Girl a secondary theme of nature and floral symbolism, reflected in the rose motif paired with the portrait subject. This decorative framing connects it to Fairey's broader use of floral and ornamental imagery around figures in his work.
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.