Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Black Keys Portrait”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch Screen Print, Signed and Numbered Edition of 550. $45. Photo reference for illustration by Shepard Fairey: Danny Clinch
Summary
Black Keys Portrait is a 2012 signed and numbered screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 550 at 18 x 24 inches. It illustrates the rock duo The Black Keys, based on a photo reference by music photographer Danny Clinch. The work translates a band portrait into Fairey's high-contrast graphic vocabulary, pairing the artist's portraiture style with his ongoing engagement with music culture. Released at a $45 price point, it sits within his run of band and album collaborations, framing a contemporary act in the same bold illustrative treatment Fairey applies across his music-themed editions.
Why It Matters
Black Keys Portrait belongs to the long thread of Shepard Fairey's music work, where he applies the same propaganda-derived graphic language he built for political icons to musicians he admires. Crediting Danny Clinch as the photo reference signals the collaborative, photo-based method behind many Fairey portraits: an existing image is reduced to flat planes and bold contour, then layered with Fairey's design sensibility. For collectors, the appeal is the intersection of two worlds, a recognizable contemporary rock act rendered by an artist whose work is rooted in poster and street-art traditions. The signed and numbered edition of 550, modest by Obey Giant standards, gives it defined scarcity without being a tiny boutique run. Within Fairey's catalog, music portraits like this one help document which artists and cultural figures he chose to elevate, and they tend to attract crossover buyers who follow both the band and the artist. The record's own theme signals place it in collaborations and pop culture alongside portraiture, making it a clear example of how Fairey moves between activism and fandom while keeping a consistent visual identity.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to two overlapping audiences: Shepard Fairey collectors building a complete run of his Obey Giant editions, and Black Keys fans who want a credible art object tied to the band. At an original $45 release in an edition of 550, it is an accessible entry point compared with his large-format relief works. The 18 x 24 inch format is easy to frame and display in a music room, studio, or gallery wall of band portraits. Because it is signed and numbered, it carries the collector reassurance of a hand-finished edition. It fits naturally into a music-focused Fairey grouping or a broader portrait collection, and pairs well with his other photo-referenced musician prints.
Historical Context
Black Keys Portrait dates to March 2012, a period when Shepard Fairey was actively producing music-related editions through Obey Giant alongside his political and consumer-critique work. By this point Fairey had long since moved from the late-1980s OBEY sticker campaign into a mature studio practice, and his music portraits reflect a recurring habit of collaborating with photographers, here Danny Clinch, to source reference imagery. The 2012 timeframe places it among a cluster of band and album-cover prints he released in the early 2010s. It documents Fairey's continued attention to contemporary rock acts and shows the consistency of his portrait method across the decade, applying the same flattened, high-contrast treatment he uses for historical and political subjects to a living, working band.
FAQ
Who is depicted in Black Keys Portrait?
The print depicts the rock duo The Black Keys, rendered by Shepard Fairey in his graphic illustrative style. According to the record, the illustration is based on a photo reference by music photographer Danny Clinch, a common collaborative method in Fairey's music portraits.
How large is the edition?
Black Keys Portrait was published by Obey Giant in a signed and numbered edition of 550. The record describes it as an 18 x 24 inch screen print released in 2012 at an original price of $45.
What are the dimensions and medium?
It is an 18 x 24 inch screen print. The source lists the medium as screen print and the dimensions as 18 inches wide by 24 inches high, dated March 27, 2012.
Is the print signed?
Yes. The record describes it as a signed and numbered edition of 550, meaning each impression is hand-signed and individually numbered within the run.
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.