Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “A Beautiful Fucking Experience”?
Artist Statement
18 x 24 inch screen print. Signed by Shepard and Wayne Coyne (lead singer of the Flaming Lips). Edition of 450, $55. My friend Sage Seb made a fantastic documentary about the Flaming Lips attempting to break the world record for most shows in 24 hours in different cities. The Film is called “A Beautiful Fucking Experience”. Sage and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips asked me to make the poster for the film which is a huge honor for me. I’ve been a Flaming Lips fan for many years and I’m briefly interviewed in the film. The movie is excellent and Flaming Lips fans, as well as any passionate fan of music, will love the spirit of the film. If you are unfamiliar with The Flaming Lips, I think their albums “The Soft Bulletin” and “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots” are beautiful and powerful, and should be purchased immediately. I’m releasing a screen-printed poster to coincide with the first public screening of the film which happened a few days ago. I’m not sure whether there will be future public screenings because there is some political red tape with MTV, who funded the project. However, the first 100 people to buy the poster will get a free copy of the film “A Beautiful Fucking Experience”. Like I said, the movie is amazing, so don’t miss this opportunity to see the full film along with owning the poster. Hopefully the film will get out there somehow.
Summary
A Beautiful Fucking Experience is a 2013 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in an edition of 450, signed by Shepard Fairey and Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips. Fairey created it as the poster for Sage Seb's documentary of the same name, which follows The Flaming Lips' attempt to break the world record for the most shows in 24 hours across different cities. A longtime Flaming Lips fan who appears briefly in the film, Fairey released the poster to coincide with the documentary's first public screening. The first 100 buyers received a free copy of the film. It was released November 7, 2013 at $55.
Why It Matters
This print connects Fairey's music fandom to a specific documentary film project, functioning as both a movie poster and a collectible screen print. Made for Sage Seb's film about The Flaming Lips' bid to break the record for most shows in 24 hours, it captures Fairey's personal enthusiasm for a band he has followed for years, even recommending specific albums in his notes and appearing briefly in the film himself. The dual signature with frontman Wayne Coyne strengthens its appeal, tying the object directly to the band. The release was conceived around the documentary's first public screening, and the offer of a free film copy to the first 100 buyers links the print to the movie's distribution at a moment when, per Fairey's account, its public availability was uncertain due to red tape with MTV. For collectors, the edition of 450 and an accessible $55 release price made it broadly attainable, while the film-poster framing and Coyne signature give it a distinct story within Fairey's music output. It is a clear example of his prints serving as cultural artifacts tied to specific music events and media.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to Flaming Lips fans, music-poster collectors, and Fairey buyers who enjoy works tied to a specific film or event. The dual signature with Wayne Coyne is a strong draw, and the documentary connection plus the early-buyer film bonus give it a memorable backstory. Visually it works as a bold music-poster image suited to a music room or casual display. At an edition of 450 and an accessible original price it was widely available, making it a friendly mid-tier piece rather than a rarity. Within a collection it fits a music or pop-culture grouping and pairs with Fairey's other band-related and event-driven releases.
Historical Context
A Beautiful Fucking Experience sits within Fairey's ongoing practice of producing posters tied to music events, films, and the artists he admires. Released in late 2013, it reflects his personal connection to The Flaming Lips, a band he cites as a longtime favorite, and his willingness to lend his work to independent documentary projects, here Sage Seb's film about the band's 24-hour show record attempt. The poster's timing around the film's first public screening, and the bundled film copies for early buyers, document how Fairey used print releases to support and promote media he believed in. It extends a thread of music-and-culture collaborations across his catalog during this prolific period.
FAQ
What is this poster connected to?
Fairey created it as the poster for Sage Seb's documentary 'A Beautiful Fucking Experience,' which follows The Flaming Lips' attempt to break the world record for the most shows in 24 hours in different cities. Fairey, a longtime fan, appears briefly in the film.
Who signed the print?
It is signed by Shepard Fairey and Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of The Flaming Lips. It is an 18 x 24 inch screen print published by Obey Giant in an edition of 450.
Was anything included with the print?
Yes. The first 100 people to buy the poster received a free copy of the film 'A Beautiful Fucking Experience.' Fairey noted that future public screenings were uncertain at the time due to political red tape with MTV, which had funded the project.
When was it released and at what price?
It was released on November 7, 2013, timed to coincide with the documentary's first public screening, at a price of $55.
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.