Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Radical Cat”?
Artist Statement
The response to my Radical Cat art has been strong, so I did a small edition of 100, 8×10 prints of the image to offer at the Cat Art show on Jan. 25. 8×10 is a standard frame size so the whole shebang should set you back less than $40 bucks. Plus, part of the proceeds go back to them cats livin’ on the streets. Word. -Shepard Radical Cat Screen print 8 x 10 inches 2014
Summary
Radical Cat is a 2014 Shepard Fairey screen print measuring 8 x 10 inches in an edition of 100, published in connection with the Cat Art Show LA and released around January 25, 2014. Fairey made the small edition in response to strong interest in his Radical Cat image, choosing the standard 8 x 10 frame size to keep framing accessible. According to his text, part of the proceeds went to support cats living on the streets. The work pairs Fairey's graphic style with a playful feline subject, a lighter offering produced for a themed group exhibition.
Why It Matters
Radical Cat is a lighthearted, small-format entry in Fairey's catalog that nonetheless reflects two consistent aspects of his practice: responsiveness to audience demand and a willingness to lend his work to causes. He explicitly states he produced the edition because the response to the Radical Cat image was strong, and that part of the proceeds went back to support street cats. Made for the Cat Art Show LA, it shows Fairey participating in a themed, community-oriented group exhibition rather than a typical solo drop. The deliberate choice of a standard 8 x 10 frame size, framed in his text as keeping the total cost low, underscores his recurring interest in accessibility and broad circulation. For collectors, the appeal is its charm and novelty within an artist better known for political and music imagery, plus the small edition of 100. It is a minor but distinctive piece that documents Fairey's range and his pattern of tying releases to charitable benefit, here for animal welfare rather than the political causes that dominate his work.
Collector Perspective
Radical Cat appeals to collectors who enjoy the playful, off-beat corners of Fairey's catalog and to cat-loving art buyers drawn to its theme and charitable angle. Its small 8 x 10 size makes it easy and inexpensive to frame, and the edition of 100 gives it modest scarcity. It suits collectors assembling a broad survey of Fairey's work who want a lighter counterpoint to his political and music prints, and it carries appeal for those who value the street-cat benefit tie. As a compact piece it works well in a cluster of small framed works or as an accessible introduction to collecting Fairey.
Historical Context
Produced for the Cat Art Show LA and released in January 2014, Radical Cat is a niche, exhibition-specific edition within Fairey's prolific mid-2010s output. It departs from his dominant political, environmental, and music themes to engage a playful pop-culture subject, reflecting his occasional participation in themed group shows. The piece also continues his long-running practice of directing portions of print proceeds to causes, in this case animal welfare. While not central to his artistic arc, it illustrates the breadth of his activity during this period and his comfort moving between weighty subject matter and lighter, community-driven projects.
FAQ
Why did Fairey make Radical Cat?
Per his text, the response to his Radical Cat art was strong, so he produced a small edition of 100 prints to offer at the Cat Art Show on January 25, 2014. He noted part of the proceeds went to support cats living on the streets.
What size is Radical Cat?
It is an 8 x 10 inch screen print. Fairey chose that size because it is a standard frame size, keeping framing affordable, and described the whole package as setting a buyer back less than 40 dollars.
What is the edition size?
Radical Cat is an edition of 100, published in connection with the Cat Art Show LA in 2014.
Does this print support a cause?
According to Fairey's accompanying text, part of the proceeds went back to support cats living on the streets, tying the playful image to an animal-welfare benefit.
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.