Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Black Sabbath Crescent (Silver / Black)”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch Screen Print. Signed and numbered edition of 125. $50. Release date: July 30, 2013 Black Sabbath has been one of my favorite bands for 25 years. I was fortunate enough to meet Jack Osbourne through my friend Big Dave in 2000. My relationship with Jack and Big Dave has led to several great Ozzy and Sabbath projects over the years. One of my biggest “I’m not worthy!” moments took place when Dave took me backstage to meet the Sabbath guys in 2004 at Ozzfest and bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler was wearing an Obey shirt! Sabbath is still a phenomenal live band and I’m incredibly honored to do my second(first was in 2005) Sabbath/Obey tour poster. Sabbath released a great new record called “13? recently(produced by Rick Rubin) and are touring in support of the album. There are 125 of each poster in each color way, black and red, and black and metallic silver. -Shepard
Summary
Black Sabbath Crescent is a 2013 Obey Giant screen print, 18 x 24 inches, signed and numbered in an edition of 125 per colorway. The source lists two colorways, black/red and black/metallic silver, with 125 prints of each. Fairey made it as a Black Sabbath/Obey tour poster, his second for the band, supporting their 2013 album '13' produced by Rick Rubin. It companions the Black Sabbath Cross design and reflects Fairey's longtime fandom and his relationships with Jack Osbourne and the band, rendering a crescent motif in his bold graphic poster style to mark the tour.
Why It Matters
As the companion to Black Sabbath Cross, this Crescent print extends Fairey's documented tribute to a band he calls a favorite for 25 years. Together the two designs form a matched pair tied to Sabbath's 2013 Rick Rubin-produced album '13' and tour, making them especially appealing as a set. The source recounts Fairey's relationship with the Osbourne camp beginning in 2000 and a 2004 Ozzfest encounter where Geezer Butler wore an Obey shirt, underscoring authentic ties between Fairey's brand and the band. This is his second official Sabbath/Obey poster, building on a first from 2005, so it represents continuity in one of his longest-running music relationships. The small edition of 125 per colorway gives it added scarcity relative to many of his music prints. The crescent motif channels Sabbath's dark, occult-tinged iconography through Fairey's graphic vocabulary. For collectors, its value lies in completing the pair, in the documented provenance of a real album and tour, and in its place within Fairey's heavy-music tributes.
Collector Perspective
This print draws Black Sabbath fans, heavy-music memorabilia collectors, and Fairey followers focused on band and tour posters. Because it pairs directly with the Black Sabbath Cross design, set-minded collectors will want both, and the two colorways (black/red and black/metallic silver) further reward completists. The small edition of 125 per colorway adds scarcity appeal, and the crescent imagery makes a bold framed display for a music-themed space. Tied to Sabbath's 2013 album and tour, it carries documented provenance. It fits squarely in a collection built around Fairey's music editions and concert posters from the early 2010s.
Historical Context
Released in 2013 alongside its Cross companion, Black Sabbath Crescent belongs to the music-focused part of Fairey's catalog devoted to tour posters for revered bands. The source identifies it as his second Sabbath/Obey poster after a 2005 first, reflecting a relationship with the band and the Osbourne family dating to 2000. It was produced to support Sabbath's 2013 album '13' and tour, a period of renewed activity for the group. The print exemplifies Fairey's grounding in heavy music and counterculture and his continuing practice of honoring formative musical influences through limited-edition screen prints.
FAQ
What is the Black Sabbath Crescent print?
It is a 2013 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant as a Black Sabbath/Obey tour poster. It companions the Black Sabbath Cross design and is signed and numbered in an edition of 125 per colorway according to the source.
How does it relate to the Black Sabbath Cross print?
The two were released together in 2013 as a matched pair of Sabbath tour posters with the same dimensions, edition structure, and colorways. Many collectors seek both designs as a set, since they share the same release date and album/tour context.
What colorways and edition size were made?
The source states two colorways, black and red, and black and metallic silver, with 125 prints of each. Each colorway is a signed and numbered edition of 125, measuring 18 x 24 inches.
What album and tour does it support?
It was produced to support Black Sabbath's 2013 album titled '13,' which the source notes was produced by Rick Rubin, and the band's accompanying tour. The release date was July 30, 2013, at an original price of $50.
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.