Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “The Provocateurs (Chicago) (Gold Version)”?
Artist Statement
The Provocateurs (Chicago) Shepard Fairey Gold Version Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Singed and Numbered Edition of 450 $50
Summary
The Provocateurs (Chicago) is a 2014 Shepard Fairey screen print produced in connection with the Provocateurs project published by Art Alliance. This Gold Version measures 18 x 24 inches, is signed and numbered in an edition of 450, and was released at $50. The piece sits within Fairey's pop-culture and collaboration output of the period and was issued alongside a Blue Version. As described in the source, it is a screen print on paper, signed and numbered, presenting Fairey's familiar graphic poster aesthetic at an accessible price and a compact, frameable scale.
Why It Matters
This print connects to The Provocateurs, a Chicago project Fairey participated in through Art Alliance, and represents the kind of event- and collaboration-tied editions that document where and when Fairey was active. With a stated edition of 450 at an original $50 price, it was conceived as an accessible entry point rather than a flagship statement work, which is part of its appeal for collectors building a broad Fairey holding. Issued in both Gold and Blue colorways, it reflects Fairey's recurring practice of releasing parallel color variants, giving collectors a chromatic choice and creating natural pairings within a collection. The piece is grounded in Fairey's mid-2010s graphic-poster vocabulary, where bold composition and a single dominant accent color carry the image. Because the source frames it under collaborations and pop culture rather than an explicit political message, its significance leans toward provenance, accessibility, and series completeness more than overt activism. For collectors, the documented signature, numbering, and edition size make it a clear, verifiable Fairey object tied to a specific 2014 release.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who want an authentic signed and numbered Fairey at an accessible scale and original price point, and those who appreciate event- or project-tied editions. The 18 x 24 inch format is easy to frame and display in a home or office, and the Gold colorway offers a warm, decorative accent that pairs naturally with its Blue counterpart. It fits collections organized around Fairey's collaborations, his color-variant releases, or his mid-2010s graphic output. Completists drawn to parallel-edition pairs may seek both versions. As a moderately sized edition of 450, it is more about breadth and provenance than scarcity, making it a sensible piece for newer collectors or for those rounding out a thematic set.
Historical Context
The print belongs to Fairey's productive 2014 period, when he released numerous signed and numbered screen prints through Obey Giant and partner publishers, here Art Alliance, often tied to specific exhibitions and projects. The Provocateurs was a Chicago-based project, and this edition documents Fairey's participation in it. It reflects his long-running studio practice of issuing affordable screen prints in defined editions alongside larger format and gallery works, and of releasing multiple color variants of a single image. Within his arc, 2014 sits in a phase of steady print output and continued collaboration with outside publishers, consolidating the graphic-poster style he had refined over the prior decade rather than marking a new thematic departure.
FAQ
What is the edition size of The Provocateurs (Chicago) Gold Version?
According to the source, it is a signed and numbered screen print in an edition of 450. It measures 18 x 24 inches and was originally released at $50. A Blue Version was issued alongside this Gold Version, giving collectors a choice of two parallel colorways of the same image.
Who published this print?
The source lists Art Alliance as the publisher, in connection with The Provocateurs project in Chicago in 2014. This places it among Fairey's collaborations with outside publishers during that period rather than a self-released Obey Giant edition.
Is the print signed?
Yes. The source description states the screen print is signed and numbered. Each piece carries Fairey's signature and an edition number out of 450, consistent with his standard practice for limited screen-print releases.
What other version exists?
The source lists two editions of this image: a Gold Version and a Blue Version. This listing is the Gold Version. Collectors interested in parallel colorways may seek both, a common feature of Fairey releases.
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.