Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Strummer Canvas Print”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24? Screen Print. Signed by Shepard Fairey and Kate Simon. Edition of 450. $70 Release Date: June 3, 2010
Summary
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, signed by Shepard Fairey and Kate Simon. The print is a portrait of Joe Strummer of The Clash, rendered as a canvas screen print and based on imagery credited to photographer Kate Simon, who co-signs the edition. It belongs to Fairey's 2010 run of Obey Giant canvas portraits and was released the same day as the companion Joe Strummer Canvas Print.
Why It Matters
This Strummer canvas stands out within Fairey's 2010 series for being co-signed by photographer Kate Simon, reflecting Fairey's documented practice of crediting and collaborating with the photographers whose images underpin his portraits. The dual signature ties the print directly to the photographic source and gives it a collaborative provenance that some collectors prioritize. As a portrait of Joe Strummer, frontman of The Clash, it honors a central figure in the politically charged punk tradition that shapes Fairey's own aesthetic and message. The print is part of the cohesive 2010 group of 18 x 24 inch Obey Giant canvas portraits in editions of 450, and its same-day June 3, 2010 release alongside the companion Joe Strummer canvas gives collectors two related Strummer treatments. The canvas format offered a gallery-ready object distinct from paper editions. For collectors, the print matters for its Kate Simon co-signature, its punk-icon subject, and its place in a recognizable canvas series that also includes Debbie Harry, Basquiat, and Neil Young, anchoring it within Fairey's broader homage to music and cultural figures.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to Clash and punk fans, photography-collaboration collectors, and buyers assembling Fairey's 2010 canvas set. The co-signature by photographer Kate Simon is a distinguishing feature that provenance-minded collectors value, since dual-signed editions are less common. The canvas format displays without glass, and the edition of 450 keeps it limited but attainable. It pairs with the same-day Joe Strummer Canvas Print companion and with the broader Debbie Harry, Basquiat, and Neil Young canvases, letting collectors decide between or collect both Strummer treatments from June 2010.
Historical Context
Released June 3, 2010, the Strummer Canvas Print belongs to Fairey's 2010 Obey Giant canvas portrait series. Its co-signature by photographer Kate Simon underscores Fairey's recurring attention to photographic sourcing and collaboration in his portrait work. Joe Strummer, as The Clash's frontman, anchors the punk lineage central to Fairey's influences, making him a natural and recurring subject. The print's standard 18 x 24 inch format and edition of 450 place it alongside sibling canvases in the series, while its same-day release with a companion Joe Strummer canvas illustrates how Fairey issued multiple treatments of a single influential figure within one body of work.
FAQ
Who signed this print?
According to the source, the Strummer Canvas Print is signed by Shepard Fairey and Kate Simon, the photographer, making it a co-signed edition.
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, released June 3, 2010.
How does this differ from the Joe Strummer Canvas Print?
Both depict Joe Strummer and released June 3, 2010 in editions of 450. This Strummer Canvas Print is specifically noted as signed by Shepard Fairey and Kate Simon, distinguishing its signature credit.
Who is the subject?
The print portrays Joe Strummer, frontman of the punk band The Clash, a recurring subject in Fairey's catalog connected to his punk influences.
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.