Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Woody Guthrie Canvas”?
Artist Statement
This print reflects the format of the Woody Guthrie painting it is based upon. The print is on18x24 paper and will be signed and numbered just below the bottom border of the printed area… allowing the purchaser to choose between a standard(more affordable) 18×24 frame, or trimming the excess paper below the signature and custom framing the print. Cropping the image to more closely suit the 18×24 proportion compromised the composition. Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was an American folk singer and songwriter best known for the song “This Land Is Your Land” frequently sung in American schools. Though the song is used patriotically, it was originally intended as as a “power to the people” themed anthem, and had its more controversial verses edited out. Full original lyrics below. Guthrie grew up in Oklahoma during the dust bowl and the depression which gave him empathy toward farmers and working class people in general. Guthrie was given the nickname “The Dust Bowl Troubadour” and wrote many songs championing workers, unions, outlaws, farmers, and the downtrodden. When Woody performed he often had the slogan “This Machine Kills Fascists” emblazoned across his guitar. If Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” was the literary embodiment off the struggles of the era, Guthrie’s songs were the musical equivalent. Guthrie was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for his left leaning views. Woody Guthrie’s influence can be felt in the tradition of social justice in music ranging from Pete Seeger, to Johnny Cash, to Bob Dylan, to Jimi Hendrix, to Neil Young, to Joe Strummer(who’s original nickname was Woody”). In my MAYDAY art show, Guthrie was an essential inclusion for his tremendous influence on so many of my favorite musicians who have combined entertainment and social commentary. Proceeds from this print go to the Woody Guthrie Foundation. The painting and print are based on a photograph by Sid Grossman. -Shepard For release on 8/19/10 at a random time. 1 per person/household. $65. Signed and Numbered Edition of 450
Summary
Woody Guthrie Canvas is a 2010 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, in a signed and numbered first edition of 450. The image portrays American folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), based on a photograph by Sid Grossman and reflecting the format of Fairey's source painting. Created for Fairey's MAYDAY art show, the portrait honors Guthrie as a champion of workers, unions, farmers and the downtrodden, the man whose guitar bore the slogan 'This Machine Kills Fascists.' The print was sized so buyers could keep a standard frame or trim below the signature. Proceeds benefit the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
Why It Matters
This print sits at the intersection of music, labor, and American protest tradition, themes central to Fairey's worldview. By portraying Woody Guthrie, the 'Dust Bowl Troubadour' whose songs championed workers and the downtrodden and who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era, Fairey connects his own fusion of art and social commentary to a lineage that runs through Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Joe Strummer. Fairey himself called Guthrie an essential inclusion in the MAYDAY show for his influence on so many of the artist's favorite politically engaged musicians. The source note also reframes 'This Land Is Your Land,' often sung patriotically in schools, as an originally 'power to the people' anthem with controversial verses removed, deepening the work's labor and democracy subtext. For collectors, the charitable tie to the Woody Guthrie Foundation and the rooting of the image in a Sid Grossman photograph add provenance and meaning. It is a portrait that doubles as a statement about music as a vehicle for social justice, making it a strong anchor piece for anyone building a music-and-activism focused Fairey collection.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to collectors who care about folk and protest music as much as street art, and to those drawn to Fairey's portraits of cultural figures who blended entertainment with social commentary. At a $65 release price and an edition of 450, it was an accessible entry point. The 18 x 24 format suits standard or custom framing, a flexibility Fairey built into the design. It displays well in a music-themed wall grouping or alongside other Fairey portraits of musicians and activists, and the charitable proceeds and Sid Grossman photo source give it a story collectors can tell. It fits naturally into a music-and-labor corner of a Fairey collection.
Historical Context
Woody Guthrie Canvas dates to August 2010, within Fairey's prolific post-2008 period when he produced numerous portraits of musicians and political figures and released benefit prints for causes. It was created specifically for his MAYDAY art show, a context that frames it as part of a body of work celebrating musicians who merged entertainment with social commentary. The print continues Fairey's long-running practice of basing portraits on existing photographs, here a Sid Grossman image, and of directing proceeds to a relevant foundation, in this case the Woody Guthrie Foundation. It belongs to the stretch of his career where labor, populism, and music converged repeatedly in his editioned output.
FAQ
What are the edition size and dimensions of Woody Guthrie Canvas?
It is a signed and numbered first edition of 450, printed as an 18 x 24 inch screen print on paper. Fairey sized the paper so buyers could use a standard 18 x 24 frame or trim the excess below the signature for custom framing. It was released on August 19, 2010 at a price of $65 with a limit of one per person or household.
Who is depicted and what is the source image?
The print depicts Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), the American folk singer and songwriter behind 'This Land Is Your Land.' Both Fairey's painting and the print are based on a photograph by Sid Grossman. Fairey created the work for his MAYDAY art show, citing Guthrie's influence on musicians who combined entertainment with social commentary.
Did proceeds support a charity?
Yes. According to the release note, proceeds from this print go to the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
Why did Fairey include Guthrie in the MAYDAY show?
Fairey wrote that Guthrie was an essential inclusion for his tremendous influence on many of the artist's favorite musicians who combined entertainment and social commentary, naming a lineage from Pete Seeger to Bob Dylan to Joe Strummer.
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.