Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Hello Kitty (Purple)”?
Artist Statement
Check out the new color way of Hello Kitty - only available IN PERSON at Known Gallery.
Summary
Hello Kitty (Purple) is a 2012 screen print published by Known Gallery, signed and numbered in an edition of 500, measuring 18 x 24 inches. The source describes it as a new color way of Hello Kitty available only in person at Known Gallery, priced at $85. It is listed alongside Pink and First Edition variants in the all-editions field, indicating multiple color treatments of the same Hello Kitty image released around the same time.
Why It Matters
Hello Kitty (Purple) reflects Fairey's recurring practice of reworking widely recognized pop-culture characters through his signature graphic vocabulary, here applied to one of the most globally familiar consumer icons. Issued as a color variant alongside Pink and a First Edition treatment, it shows his use of multiple color ways to extend a single design into a collectible family, a common strategy in his print releases. Published by Known Gallery and sold only in person, the purple version was distributed through a gallery-exclusive channel rather than a standard online drop, which shaped how it reached collectors. At an edition of 500 and an $85 release price, it sits in an accessible but slightly elevated tier relative to the $55 Americana sheets of the same year. Its appeal rests on the recognizable subject and the variant structure, making it attractive to collectors who pursue color-way sets and to those drawn to Fairey's pop-culture crossovers. The source provides limited descriptive detail beyond the new color way and in-person availability, so interpretation centers on the variant format and gallery-exclusive release rather than documented imagery specifics.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors of Fairey's pop-culture crossovers and to those who chase color-way sets, since the purple version complements the Pink and First Edition treatments of the same Hello Kitty image. Its gallery-exclusive, in-person-only distribution through Known Gallery gives it a distinct acquisition story, and at $85 with an edition of 500 it is accessible yet positioned slightly above the year's $55 releases. The recognizable subject makes it an approachable, eye-catching display piece, and it fits naturally in a collection focused on Fairey's pop-culture and collaboration work or in a grouping built around the multiple Hello Kitty color ways.
Historical Context
Released in October 2012 through Known Gallery, Hello Kitty (Purple) sits within Fairey's broader practice of appropriating and restyling familiar commercial and pop-culture imagery. The issuance of multiple color ways, Purple alongside Pink and a First Edition, reflects his use of variant editions to build collectible families around a single design. Its gallery-exclusive, in-person-only release distinguishes it from the timed online drops of the contemporaneous Americana suite, showing the range of distribution channels Fairey and his publishing partners used in 2012. Within his arc, the work exemplifies the lighter pop-culture crossover strain of his output during this prolific period.
FAQ
How was Hello Kitty (Purple) distributed?
Per the source, this new color way was only available in person at Known Gallery, rather than through a standard online drop, in October 2012.
What is the edition size?
It is a signed and numbered screen print published by Known Gallery in an edition of 500, measuring 18 x 24 inches.
Are there other color versions?
Yes. The all-editions field lists First Edition, Pink, and Purple, indicating multiple color treatments of the same Hello Kitty image released around the same time.
What was the price?
The source record lists a release price of $85 for the purple color way.
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.