Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Peace Dove Letterpress”?
Artist Statement
1 color Letterpress on 100% cotton Lettre paper, 110lb, deckled edges. Signed, Stamped and Numbered edition of 300. 10 inches x 13 inches, frame ready. Ships flat. $60 Release Date: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 at a random time between 10am and 12 noon PST. Letterpress printing is the art of relief printing using a printing press. The PEACE DOVE Letterpress involved locking an etched zinc plate into the bed of a press, inking it, and pressing paper against it to form a lasting impression in the paper. Invented by Johannes Gutenberg circa 1450 AD.
Summary
Peace Dove Letterpress is a 2013 letterpress print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed, stamped, and numbered edition of 300 at 10 x 13 inches. The source describes it as a 1-color letterpress on 100% cotton Lettre paper, 110lb, with deckled edges, frame ready and shipped flat, priced at $60. It was released on March 5, 2013. The print depicts Fairey's peace dove motif and uses the traditional relief-printing technique of letterpress, pressing an etched zinc plate into the paper.
Why It Matters
This print is notable for both its enduring peace dove imagery and its traditional letterpress technique. The peace dove is one of Fairey's most recognizable recurring symbols, central to his long-running peace and anti-war messaging. The source explains the letterpress process in detail, an etched zinc plate locked into a press bed, inked, and pressed to form a lasting impression, a relief-printing method invented by Johannes Gutenberg circa 1450. This tactile, embossed quality distinguishes the work from Fairey's flat screen prints and gives it a craft-oriented, handmade character. Signed, stamped, and numbered in an edition of 300 on heavy 100% cotton paper with deckled edges, and released at an accessible $60, the print balances collectibility with affordability. For collectors, it offers a recognizable iconic motif rendered in a distinctive process, making it a strong representative of Fairey's peace-themed output and his interest in varied print media. Its modest size and frame-ready format also make it an approachable, displayable piece grounded in one of his most resonant symbols.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who value Fairey's peace dove iconography and those drawn to the tactile quality of letterpress. At 10 x 13 inches, frame ready, and an accessible $60 original price, it is an approachable, displayable piece that suits both newer collectors and those building a peace-themed grouping. The embossed letterpress impression on heavy cotton paper gives it a craft-forward, handmade appeal distinct from screen prints. Signed, stamped, and numbered in an edition of 300, it offers genuine collectibility at a modest scale. It fits well alongside Fairey's other dove and peace-tree works and rewards buyers who appreciate process and recognizable symbolism over large format or high price.
Historical Context
This letterpress belongs to Fairey's 2013 Obey Giant output and continues his long engagement with the peace dove, a motif that recurs across his peace and anti-war work for years. The choice of letterpress, described in the source as a Gutenberg-era relief technique, reflects Fairey's interest in working across diverse print media beyond his signature screen prints. The dove sits within a broader lineage of his peace-themed editions, connecting to earlier and later dove and peace-tree prints in his catalog. Within his arc, this work shows Fairey applying a traditional, tactile process to one of his most enduring symbols, reinforcing both the consistency of his peace messaging and his ongoing experimentation with the materials and methods of printmaking.
FAQ
How is this print made?
According to the source, it is a 1-color letterpress made by locking an etched zinc plate into a press bed, inking it, and pressing paper against it to form a lasting impression. Letterpress is a relief technique the source attributes to Johannes Gutenberg circa 1450.
What are the edition and size?
It is a signed, stamped, and numbered edition of 300, measuring 10 x 13 inches on 100% cotton Lettre paper, 110lb, with deckled edges. It is frame ready and ships flat.
What was the original price and release date?
The print was released at $60 on March 5, 2013, by Obey Giant.
What does the print depict?
It features Fairey's peace dove motif, one of his most recognizable symbols. The source lists peace-and-anti-war as the primary theme.
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.