Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Cornel West”?
Artist Statement
CORNEL WEST PRINT Glen E. Friedman and I collaborated on an image of scholar and political philosopher Cornel West. I’m a big fan of Dr. West as a thinker and humanitarian, but my admiration is even greater after spending time with him when he came to sign the prints. We hung out and talked politics, media, education etc… I don’t think I’ve ever met a nicer person. The experience was very inspiring. Check out some of Cornel West’s writings. Glen has photos and commentary on his website. The print drops Thurs. It is signed by me, Glen, and Dr. West. A portion of the proceeds will go to The City Kids charity. -Shepard 18 x 24? Screen Print. Edition of 450. Signed by Shepard Fairey, Glen E. Friedman and Dr. Cornel West. Limit 1 per person/household. $80.
Summary
Cornel West is a 2010 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, in a first edition of 450, released October 2010 at $80. A collaboration with photographer Glen E. Friedman, the portrait depicts scholar and political philosopher Dr. Cornel West and is signed by Fairey, Friedman, and West himself. Fairey describes admiring West as a thinker and humanitarian and recounts West visiting to sign the prints, where they discussed politics, media, and education. A portion of the proceeds went to The City Kids charity. The limit was one per person or household.
Why It Matters
Cornel West captures Fairey's portrait-of-a-living-thinker mode and his collaborative practice, here pairing with photographer Glen E. Friedman on an image of the scholar and political philosopher Dr. Cornel West. The triple signature, Fairey, Friedman, and West, is the print's defining feature, making each copy a co-authored artifact carrying the subject's own hand. Fairey's note adds personal texture: he calls West among the nicest people he has ever met and describes a signing session spent talking politics, media, and education, framing the work as born of genuine intellectual admiration rather than mere iconography. The civil-rights and social-justice resonance of West as a public intellectual gives the portrait substantive weight, and the charitable tie to The City Kids deepens its purpose. Within Fairey's catalog it sits among his portraits of contemporary activists and thinkers, and the involvement of Friedman, a noted photographer in Fairey's circle, links it to his network of collaborators. For collectors, the subject's stature and the rare in-person signature combine to make it a standout.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors of Fairey's portraits of contemporary thinkers and activists, to admirers of Dr. Cornel West, and to those who value Glen E. Friedman's photographic collaborations. The triple signature of Fairey, Friedman, and West is the key draw and a genuine rarity for a portrait subject to sign the run. At $80 with an edition of 450 it was an accessible release, and the City Kids charitable angle adds a documented story. The 18 x 24 format frames easily and complements a civil-rights or public-intellectual themed grouping. It fits a collection organized around Fairey's activist portraits or signed collaborations.
Historical Context
Released in October 2010 through Obey Giant, Cornel West reflects Fairey's ongoing collaborations with photographer Glen E. Friedman and his practice of portraying contemporary activists and thinkers. The personal account of West coming to sign the prints, and the resulting triple signature, distinguishes it within his catalog. The benefit structure, with proceeds to The City Kids, follows Fairey's pattern of pairing portrait releases with charitable causes. The print belongs to his early-2010s arc of civil-rights and collaboration-driven editioned work, celebrating public intellectuals alongside the musicians and activists he portrayed in the same period.
FAQ
Who signed the Cornel West print?
It is signed by Shepard Fairey, photographer Glen E. Friedman, and Dr. Cornel West himself, who came to sign the prints in person, making it a triple-signed collaboration.
What are the edition size and dimensions?
Cornel West is an 18 x 24 inch screen print in an edition of 450, released in October 2010 at $80, with a limit of one per person or household.
Who collaborated on the image?
Fairey collaborated with photographer Glen E. Friedman on the portrait of scholar and political philosopher Dr. Cornel West. Fairey describes himself as a big fan of West as a thinker and humanitarian.
Did proceeds support a charity?
Yes. According to Fairey's note, a portion of the proceeds went to The City Kids charity.
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.