Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Joe Strummer Canvas Print”?
Artist Statement
STRUMMER CANVAS PRINT Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 450 June 3, 2010 $70
Summary
Joe Strummer Canvas Print is an 18 x 24 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in 2010, released June 3, in an edition of 450 at $70. The print is Fairey's portrait of Joe Strummer, frontman of The Clash, rendered as a canvas screen print in his bold portrait style. It is part of Fairey's 2010 run of Obey Giant canvas portraits of musicians and cultural figures, sharing dimensions and edition size with companion releases, and was issued the same day as the closely related Strummer Canvas Print.
Why It Matters
Joe Strummer and The Clash are foundational to the punk ethos that runs throughout Fairey's work, making this portrait one of the more personally resonant subjects in his music catalog. The Clash's fusion of political messaging and punk energy maps directly onto Fairey's own blend of agitprop aesthetics and social commentary, so the portrait reads as a tribute to a clear artistic forebear. The print belongs to Fairey's cohesive 2010 series of 18 x 24 inch Obey Giant canvas portraits in editions of 450, and it was released June 3, 2010, the same day as a closely related Strummer canvas, giving collectors two adjacent Strummer treatments to consider. The canvas format provided a gallery-ready object distinct from paper editions. For collectors, the print matters as a portrait of a punk icon central to Fairey's influences, as a component of a recognizable 2010 canvas set that includes Debbie Harry, Basquiat, and Neil Young, and as part of a small Strummer cluster within his catalog that also reaches back to a 2003 portrait. Its appeal rests on subject significance, series cohesion, and Strummer's enduring stature in music history.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to Clash and punk fans, music-portrait collectors, and buyers building Fairey's 2010 canvas portrait set. Joe Strummer's standing as a punk icon gives the work strong appeal among collectors who connect to the political punk tradition Fairey draws from. The canvas format displays without glass, and the edition of 450 makes it limited but attainable. It pairs with the companion Debbie Harry, Basquiat, and Neil Young canvases, and with Fairey's earlier 2003 Joe Strummer portrait for collectors tracking how he revisits the subject. Buyers may also weigh it against the same-day Strummer Canvas Print companion.
Historical Context
Released June 3, 2010, the Joe Strummer Canvas Print sits within Fairey's 2010 series of Obey Giant canvas portraits. Strummer, as The Clash's frontman, embodies the politically charged punk lineage that shaped Fairey's visual and ideological sensibility, making him a natural recurring subject; Fairey had already produced a 2003 Joe Strummer portrait. The print's standard 18 x 24 inch format and edition of 450 align it with sibling canvases in the series. Its same-day release alongside a related Strummer canvas reflects how Fairey sometimes issued multiple treatments of a single influential figure within the same body of work.
FAQ
Who is the subject of this print?
The print is Fairey's portrait of Joe Strummer, frontman of the punk band The Clash, rendered as an 18 x 24 inch Obey Giant canvas screen print.
What are the size, edition, and price?
It is an 18 x 24 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in 2010, in an edition of 450, at an original price of $70.
When was it released?
The Joe Strummer Canvas Print was released on June 3, 2010, the same day as a closely related Strummer Canvas Print in the same series.
Did Fairey make other Strummer prints?
Yes. The related records include an earlier 2003 Joe Strummer portrait and a same-day 2010 Strummer Canvas Print, showing Fairey returned to the subject multiple times.
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.