What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Coup D'Etat”?

Artist Statement

18 x 24 inch Screen Print Signed Edition of 450. $45 limit 1 per person/household. Release Date: 6/7/12 at a random time during the day (PST).

Summary

Coup D'Etat is a 2012 signed screen print by Shepard Fairey, measuring 18 x 24 inches in a first edition of 450. Released through Obey Giant at $45 with a limit of one per person, the work uses Fairey's characteristic high-contrast graphic style to address themes of power and political upheaval, as suggested by its title. It sits within his broader engagement with critiques of authority and consumer-political symbolism, presented in the accessible standard-edition format that defines much of his Obey Giant catalog.

Why It Matters

Coup D'Etat is a representative entry in Fairey's prolific 2012 release schedule, when he issued a steady stream of mid-size signed screen prints engaging political power and authority. Its title points toward themes of upheaval and the seizure of power, fitting the artist's long-running interrogation of how authority is asserted and challenged, an inquiry that runs from his early propaganda-inspired imagery through his Occupy-era work. With an edition of 450 at an accessible release price, the print belongs to the high-volume, broadly available tier of Fairey's output, designed to put his political imagery in the hands of a wide audience rather than to function as a scarce object. For collectors, that accessibility is precisely the appeal: it captures Fairey's recurring graphic critique of power in his standard signed format, making it an entry point into his 2012 political series. The piece reinforces the visual and thematic continuity of his catalog, sitting alongside other power- and authority-themed prints from the same period and demonstrating how consistently he returned to questions of control, hierarchy, and resistance across his work.

Collector Perspective

This appeals to collectors seeking an accessible, signed Fairey screen print with a clear political theme rather than a scarce or large-format object. The edition of 450 and standard 18 x 24 inch size make it an approachable entry point, well suited to buyers assembling a representative cross-section of his 2012 political work or starting an OBEY collection. Its power-and-authority subject pairs naturally with other anti-corruption and protest prints from the same window. Display appeal rests on Fairey's signature high-contrast graphic style, which frames cleanly at standard sizes and complements a politically themed wall grouping.

Historical Context

Released in June 2012, Coup D'Etat falls within Fairey's busy Occupy-era period, when his prints frequently addressed power, corruption, and political upheaval. The title situates it among works probing how authority is seized and contested, a thread consistent with his career-long propaganda-inspired critique of control. As a standard signed edition of 450 issued through Obey Giant, it reflects the artist's practice of pairing topical political imagery with broadly accessible mid-size editions. Within his arc, it represents the dependable, high-volume political output that ran alongside his scarcer collaborations and large-format works during the early 2010s.

FAQ

Related Works

Eat The Rich2012 · Same-year political print sharing the anti-power, anti-elite message.

Small Privileges2011 · Adjacent standard-edition work critiquing privilege and power.

Top-Elite Faschions For Sale2011 · Shares the critique of elite power and consumer-political symbolism.

Pedestal2013 · Nearby standard edition examining authority and status.

Berlin Tower2013 · Same standard-edition format and political-symbolism register.

They Live (2)2011 · Shares the anti-authority, hidden-power theme in Fairey's catalog.