Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Gallows Pole”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch screen print. Signed and numbered edition of 450. $55. Limit 1 per person/household. The first 200 prints are included in the Americana Box set previously released and sold out. Limited numbers available.
Summary
Gallows Pole is a signed and numbered 18 x 24 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in 2012 in an edition of 450, priced at $55. The source notes that the first 200 prints are included in the Americana Box Set, which was previously released and is sold out. The title references the traditional folk song, situating the work within Fairey's 2012 Americana series of folk-song-titled prints. The print combines Fairey's graphic, poster-style visual language with American folk subject matter, and was limited to one per person or household at release.
Why It Matters
Gallows Pole is a member of Fairey's 2012 Americana series, in which he names prints after traditional American folk songs to explore the nation's myths, history, and self-image. The song's dark theme, a plea for rescue from execution, fits the series' interest in the harder undercurrents of American folklore, and Fairey's graphic treatment gives that heritage a contemporary, poster-driven edge. Its inclusion of the first 200 prints in the sold-out Americana Box Set ties the standalone edition to a curated collector grouping, an organizing structure that rewards collectors who follow how Fairey sequences and bundles related works. The source attaches both pop-culture and politics-and-democracy themes to the print, reflecting Fairey's recurring strategy of using familiar Americana to question idealized national narratives. With an edition of 450 and an accessible $55 release price, the print was broadly available, but its series membership and box-set lineage give it added context and make it a coherent piece within a larger Americana run rather than an isolated image.
Collector Perspective
Gallows Pole appeals to collectors assembling Fairey's Americana series and those drawn to works rooted in American folk music and political themes. Its tie to the sold-out Americana Box Set adds appeal for set-completists and provenance-minded buyers. At an original $55 in an edition of 450, it was accessible, and its 18 x 24 inch format frames cleanly beside its companion folk-song prints. The work is most effective displayed as part of a grouped Americana wall, where the shared folk-song concept reinforces each print's meaning. The one-per-household release limit points to wide fan distribution rather than concentrated ownership.
Historical Context
Released in 2012 through Obey Giant, Gallows Pole belongs to Fairey's Americana series of folk-song-titled prints. The series emerged during a phase in which Fairey leaned further into American iconography and political commentary, and its box-set packaging reflects his habit of grouping thematically linked editions for collectors. By drawing on a traditional folk song with grim subject matter, the print engages the darker side of American folklore, consistent with Fairey's interest in complicating tidy national narratives. The source's note that the 200-piece Americana Box Set sold out documents early demand for the grouped works, while the full edition of 450 kept individual prints accessible at release.
FAQ
What is the Americana Box Set connection?
The source states the first 200 prints of Gallows Pole are included in the Americana Box Set, which was previously released and is sold out. The remaining prints in the edition of 450 were released individually, linking the standalone print to the curated set.
What are the size and edition details?
Gallows Pole is an 18 x 24 inch screen print, signed and numbered in an edition of 450, published by Obey Giant in 2012. It was originally priced at $55 with a limit of one per person or household.
What does the title reference?
The title references the traditional folk song, placing the work in Fairey's 2012 Americana series of folk-song-titled prints. The source associates it with both pop-culture and politics-and-democracy themes.
Is the print signed and numbered?
Yes. The source confirms a signed and numbered edition of 450, consistent with Obey Giant's standard practice for the Americana series.
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.