Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Printing Press Album Cover (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
Serigraph, Signed and Numbered Edition of 40. Printed on 100% cotton rag archival paper with deckled edges, 42 x 42 inches. $500. Release Date: 5/3/11
Summary
Printing Press Album Cover is a 2011 large-format serigraph by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed and numbered edition of 40. The screen print measures 42 x 42 inches and is printed on 100% cotton rag archival paper with deckled edges. Part of a 2011 suite of square album-cover compositions, its imagery centers on the printing press as a motif tied to Fairey's themes of media, production, and image-making. The format and finish position it as a deluxe, gallery-scale work rather than a typical small-edition poster.
Why It Matters
Printing Press Album Cover sits within a tightly grouped 2011 family of large-format square serigraphs released together by Obey Giant, each treating an album-cover-style composition at gallery scale. Its low edition of 40 and substantial 42 x 42 inch footprint make it a more ambitious, deluxe object than Fairey's standard 18 x 24 inch poster runs, and the printing-press motif resonates directly with Fairey's career-long preoccupation with media, propaganda, and the mechanics of image distribution. For collectors, the appeal lies in the combination of restrained edition size, archival cotton rag stock with deckled edges, and the cohesive series identity: owning one Printing Press print connects to a recognizable set including Jukebox, Megaphone, Nouveau, and Rebel Waltz. The work rewards collectors who value the formal craft of screen printing and Fairey's recurring iconography around communication and reproduction. As a large-format edition, it differentiates itself from the high-volume open and 450-run releases that dominate much of Fairey's catalog, offering scale and scarcity in a single object grounded in his signature graphic language.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who want a large, statement-scale Fairey work with a genuinely small edition rather than a common poster run. At 42 x 42 inches on deckled cotton rag, it commands wall space and reads as a centerpiece, appealing to buyers furnishing larger rooms or building a focused series of the 2011 large-format album covers. Its printing-press motif and media themes fit collections organized around Fairey's commentary on communication and reproduction. Set-builders may pair it with Jukebox, Megaphone, and Nouveau to assemble the cohesive square-format suite. The edition of 40 gives it a scarcity advantage over Fairey's larger runs while remaining a recognizable, on-brand graphic work.
Historical Context
Released on May 3, 2011, Printing Press Album Cover belongs to a cluster of large-format square serigraphs Obey Giant issued together that spring. By 2011 Fairey was well established beyond his early sticker-and-poster origins, regularly producing deluxe, gallery-scale editions alongside his accessible poster releases. The printing-press subject aligns with his longstanding interest in media, propaganda mechanics, and the reproduction of images that underpins the OBEY project. The 42 x 42 inch format, archival cotton rag paper, and edition of 40 reflect the more refined, collector-oriented printmaking that characterizes his mature period, where craft, scale, and series cohesion took on greater emphasis than in his earlier street-derived output.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Printing Press Album Cover (Large Format)?
It is a signed and numbered edition of 40, published by Obey Giant. This small edition makes it scarcer than Fairey's typical poster runs of several hundred, while the large 42 x 42 inch format positions it as a deluxe, gallery-scale work.
What are the dimensions and materials?
The serigraph measures 42 x 42 inches and is printed on 100% cotton rag archival paper with deckled edges. The square format and heavyweight archival stock give it a substantial, finished presentation suited to display as a centerpiece.
When was it released?
Printing Press Album Cover was released on May 3, 2011, as part of a group of large-format square album-cover serigraphs issued by Obey Giant that spring.
Is it signed?
Yes. Per the source, the edition is signed and numbered. The print is hand-signed as part of its limited edition of 40.
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.