Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “John & Yoko Canvas”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24? Screen Print on paper. Signed and Numbered Edition of 450. $70. Limit one per person/household. A portion of the proceeds go to the Spirit Foundations, Inc. Photo by Iain Macmillan (c) Yoko Ono For release on 8.26.10
Summary
John & Yoko Canvas is a 2010 Shepard Fairey screen print on paper, 18 x 24 inches, in a signed and numbered first edition of 450. The image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono is based on a photograph by Iain Macmillan (copyright Yoko Ono). Released on August 26, 2010 at $70 with a limit of one per person or household, the print pairs two of music's most recognizable cultural and peace-activist figures in Fairey's graphic portrait style. A portion of the proceeds was directed to the Spirit Foundations, Inc. The source record provides limited descriptive detail beyond these production facts.
Why It Matters
John & Yoko Canvas joins Fairey's series of musician and cultural-icon portraits, here depicting John Lennon and Yoko Ono, a couple synonymous with both popular music and peace activism. Working from an Iain Macmillan photograph licensed through Yoko Ono, Fairey lends his graphic, poster-derived vocabulary to subjects already deeply embedded in pop culture and the peace movement. The charitable tie to the Spirit Foundations connects the release to Lennon and Ono's own philanthropic legacy, giving collectors a meaningful provenance thread. Within Fairey's catalog, the print exemplifies his recurring strategy of celebrating musicians who blended art with social and political conviction, a through-line that links this work to his broader music-and-activism output. While the source description is brief, the subject matter alone places it among his more culturally resonant portraits, appealing to Beatles and Lennon collectors as well as Fairey enthusiasts. Its accessible original price and edition of 450 made it broadly attainable at release, and the pairing of two icons in a single image gives it standout display value compared with single-subject portraits.
Collector Perspective
This print draws Beatles and John Lennon collectors as readily as Fairey followers, plus anyone assembling a music-and-peace themed wall. The dual portrait of two instantly recognizable figures gives it crossover appeal and strong conversation value. At $70 and an edition of 450, it was an approachable acquisition, and the licensed Iain Macmillan photograph plus the Spirit Foundations charitable angle add a documented backstory. The 18 x 24 format frames easily and pairs well with other Fairey musician portraits. It fits a collection organized around music icons, peace activism, or Fairey's broader pop-culture portraiture.
Historical Context
Released in August 2010, John & Yoko Canvas belongs to Fairey's busy post-2008 run of musician and cultural-figure portraits issued through Obey Giant, often with charitable tie-ins. It reflects his ongoing practice of building portraits from existing photographs, here an Iain Macmillan image licensed via Yoko Ono, and of routing proceeds to a relevant cause, the Spirit Foundations. Depicting Lennon and Ono situates the work within Fairey's celebration of artists who fused popular music with peace and social activism, a theme he returned to across this era of editioned prints.
FAQ
What are the edition size and dimensions?
John & Yoko Canvas is a signed and numbered screen print on paper, 18 x 24 inches, in a first edition of 450. It was released on August 26, 2010 at $70 with a limit of one per person or household.
What is the source photograph?
The image is based on a photograph by Iain Macmillan, with copyright credited to Yoko Ono, as stated in the release note.
Did the print support a charity?
Yes. According to the source, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Spirit Foundations, Inc.
Who is shown in the print?
The print depicts John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The source provides limited descriptive text beyond the production details and the photo credit.
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.