Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “America's Favorite (Silver)”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24? Screen Print, Signed Edition of 400. Limit 1 per person/household. $50 Release Date: 7-8-2010 I have been an environmental advocate and supporter of clean energy and conservation for many years, leading me to make several art pieces dealing with these topics as well. In my “May Day” show I wanted to address current issues and also celebrate some of my favorite artists, musicians, and activists from the past. With my flag series I was referencing Jasper Johns, other images reference Warhol and Rauschenberg. This “America’s Favorite” gas station image was created before the BP spill as a way to comment on our addiction to oil and suggest that it should be in its twilight, but also to pay tribute to artist Ed Ruscha and his beautiful “Standard Station” series of paintings and prints. There is an emotional sense of nostalgia and Americana conjured by an iconic gas station, maybe even a sense of freedom and exploration. However, we all know that nostalgia can be the enemy of progress. Oil extraction is a dead end. I was just in Portland Oregon for two weeks, and that city is proof that people can change their energy and consumption habits. Yes, there was a bit of self-righteousness to some of the environmentalism, but withstanding that, the place overall is very healthy, friendly, and conscientious. Aside from not being able to get Equal for my coffee (I’m type 1 diabetic, and sugar is bad for me) I did not find my lifestyle at all compromised by Portland’s environmentalism. In the wake of the BP spill the “America’s Favorite” gas station image is even more relevant. I will be donating a portion of the proceeds from this print to the NRDC… Natural Resources Defense Council. I will also be releasing a couple prints inspired by the Gulf of Mexico spill and will be donating to charities helping with the cleanup there. Look out for those in coming weeks. If you don’t know Ed Ruscha’s work check it out. www.edruscha.com -Shepard
Summary
America's Favorite is a 2010 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed edition of 400 at 18 x 24 inches, released July 8, 2010 at $50, with Red and Silver colorways. The image depicts an iconic gas station and, per Fairey's statement, comments on America's addiction to oil while paying tribute to Ed Ruscha's 'Standard Station' series. Fairey notes the work was created before the BP Gulf spill and gained added relevance afterward. He states a portion of proceeds would go to the Natural Resources Defense Council. The print blends Americana nostalgia with environmental critique.
Why It Matters
America's Favorite is a clear example of Fairey fusing environmental critique with art-historical homage, explicitly invoking Ed Ruscha's 'Standard Station' paintings and prints in his statement. That documented reference gives the work a dual reading, as both a comment on oil dependence and a tribute within a Pop and conceptual-art lineage, which differentiates it from a straightforward protest image. Fairey frames the gas station as a source of Americana nostalgia, freedom, and exploration, then turns that nostalgia into a warning that 'oil extraction is a dead end.' The timing is significant: the source notes the image was made before the BP Gulf spill and became more relevant in its wake, anchoring it to a specific 2010 environmental moment. Fairey's stated donation of a portion of proceeds to the Natural Resources Defense Council adds a documented activist dimension. Released at $50 in an edition of 400 across Red and Silver colorways, it was accessible and collectible as a colorway pair. For collectors and researchers, the Ruscha homage, the pre-spill timing, and the named NRDC benefit are the strongest, fully sourced differentiators within Fairey's environmental catalog.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors focused on Fairey's environmental work, Americana imagery, and art-historical homage, particularly admirers of Ed Ruscha. The documented Ruscha reference and the NRDC donation give it appeal to buyers who value content and cause alongside aesthetics. With Red and Silver colorways in an edition of 400 each direction, colorway collectors may pursue the pair, and the 18 x 24 inch format displays well as an Americana statement piece. It groups naturally with Fairey's other environmental and oil-critique prints. Availability is reasonable given the edition size, so collectors typically weigh colorway, condition, and the thematic fit within an environmental or energy-themed collection rather than rarity.
Historical Context
America's Favorite emerged from Fairey's 'May Day' show context and his long-standing environmental advocacy, situating it within his 2010 body of clean-energy and conservation-themed work. The explicit tribute to Ed Ruscha links it to a conceptual and Pop-art lineage of depicting American gas stations and roadside iconography. Created before the BP Gulf spill and released shortly after, it captures a moment when oil dependence and energy policy dominated public discourse, and Fairey notes plans for further prints responding directly to the spill. Within his arc, the work reinforces the environmental thread he had been developing, pairing critique of consumption habits with the nostalgic visual language of mid-century Americana.
FAQ
What does America's Favorite depict and critique?
The print shows an iconic American gas station. In his statement, Fairey uses it to comment on America's addiction to oil, suggesting oil's era should be in its twilight, while also evoking nostalgia, freedom, and exploration tied to roadside Americana.
What art-historical reference does it make?
Fairey states the image pays tribute to artist Ed Ruscha and his 'Standard Station' series of paintings and prints, linking the work to a conceptual and Pop-art lineage of depicting American gas stations.
What were the edition details?
Per the source, it is a signed screen print edition of 400, measuring 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant, released July 8, 2010 at $50, with a limit of one per household. It was issued in Red and Silver colorways.
Did this print support a cause?
Yes. Fairey states he would donate a portion of the proceeds to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). He also notes the image was made before the BP Gulf spill and became more relevant in its aftermath.
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.