Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Behind You (Large Format - 20 Year Retro Series Set)”?
Artist Statement
20 YEAR RETRO SERIES SET This large format print series was created to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of OBEY. The series was first released in Feb but only to a selected few for the opening of Shepard’s 20 year Retrospective at the ICA Boston. Shepard chose to revisit these images, from the 98 – 2000 era, due to their popularity but adding a more refined look to them with the replace of the OBEY Orange for a Metallic Gold. Edition of 75 Signed and Numbered 29" x 41" each $2000 as a set $600 as individuals
Summary
Behind You is a large-format 2009 screen print from Fairey's 20 Year Retro Series Set, commemorating the 20th anniversary of OBEY. Published by Obey Giant in an edition of 75, it measures 29 x 41 inches, is signed and numbered, and retailed for $600 individually or $2000 as a set. Fairey revisited images from the 1998 to 2000 era, refining them and replacing the OBEY orange with metallic gold. The series first appeared in February for his 20 year retrospective at the ICA Boston, then went on public sale April 2, 2009.
Why It Matters
Behind You is part of the 20 Year Retro Series Set, a milestone group marking two decades of OBEY and linked to Fairey's retrospective at the ICA Boston, which gives the series institutional weight within his catalog. The work revisits imagery from the 1998 to 2000 era, refined and reissued with metallic gold replacing the signature OBEY orange, making it both a retrospective gesture and an upgraded fine-art object. Its large 29 x 41 inch format, small edition of 75, and signed-and-numbered status place it among Fairey's premium collector releases, consistent with the $600 individual and $2000 set pricing recorded in the source. For collectors, the appeal lies in the anniversary significance, the museum tie-in, the limited run, and the elevated metallic-gold production that distinguishes these prints from their originals. As a member of a coordinated set, it also gains value as part of a complete retrospective grouping. The source does not claim sell-out or current value, so its standing rests on the retrospective context, the small edition, and the large fine-art presentation rather than on asserted rarity beyond the stated numbers.
Collector Perspective
Behind You suits serious Fairey collectors seeking large-format, low-edition fine art tied to a defining career milestone. The 20 Year Retro Series and ICA Boston retrospective connection provide institutional provenance that elevated collectors prize, while the metallic gold reissue of late-1990s imagery offers a refined version of classic OBEY motifs. At 29 x 41 inches it functions as a statement wall piece for a focal or gallery display rather than a secondary print. Signed and numbered in an edition of 75, it sits at the premium tier of a collection and pairs directly with the companion Retro Series prints. For collectors building the full set, it is an essential component of a coordinated retrospective grouping.
Historical Context
Issued in 2009, Behind You commemorates the 20th anniversary of OBEY and is tied to Fairey's 20 year retrospective at the ICA Boston, where the series debuted in February ahead of its April 2 public release. By revisiting a popular image from the 1998 to 2000 era and rendering it large with metallic gold in place of the OBEY orange, Fairey reframed early work as refined fine art, marking his transition from street campaign toward museum-recognized practice. The series occupies a reflective, self-curating point in his arc, arriving the same year as his high-profile political output and showing how he reconsidered foundational imagery two decades into the OBEY project. As a signed, numbered, limited large-format work, it represents the retrospective phase of his career.
FAQ
What series is Behind You part of?
Per the source, Behind You belongs to the 20 Year Retro Series Set, created to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of OBEY. The series revisits images from the 1998 to 2000 era and first appeared in February for Shepard's 20 year retrospective at the ICA Boston.
What is the edition size and price?
According to the record, the print is an edition of 75, signed and numbered, measuring 29 x 41 inches. It retailed for $600 as an individual print and $2000 as the full set, published by Obey Giant in 2009.
How does this print differ from the original image?
Fairey revisited the original imagery from the 1998 to 2000 era, giving it a more refined look and replacing the signature OBEY orange with metallic gold. The result is a large-format, fine-art reissue of an earlier OBEY image for the anniversary series.
What makes this part of a set?
Behind You is one of the coordinated prints in the 20 Year Retro Series Set, offered together as a set for $2000 or individually for $600. The shared format, metallic gold treatment, and anniversary theme tie the prints together as a retrospective grouping.
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.