Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Top (Vertical Face Set)”?
Summary
Top (Vertical Face Set) is a 1996 screen print published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 50, measuring 18.5 by 24 inches, with a listed price of 25. The source provides no description, so details about its imagery are limited, but the title and the record's pop-culture and OBEY-iconography theme signals point to a vertical, face-based composition within Fairey's mid-1990s Giant work. The very small edition of 50 makes it one of the more limited early releases. With no further documentation available, this entry is written cautiously and grounded only in the record's stated facts.
Why It Matters
Top (Vertical Face Set) is a sparsely documented early Fairey print, so its importance must be assessed carefully from limited facts. What the source does establish is meaningful: it is a 1996 first edition with a very small run of just 50, among the more limited early-period editions in his catalog. The title indicates a vertical face-set composition, consistent with Fairey's mid-1990s focus on the Giant face as a repeatable graphic unit, and the record assigns it to collaborations, pop culture, and OBEY iconography. For collectors, the small edition size and early date are the primary draws, situating it within the foundational years of the OBEY project alongside his other 1996 releases. Because no description is provided, claims about its specific message or visual concept should remain modest, and its significance rests more on chronology and scarcity than on documented intent. It functions well as a completist piece for those assembling early Giant editions, and its inclusion in the face-set lineage connects it to Fairey's broader exploration of how a single face could be multiplied and varied across formats. Absent stronger documentation, it is best understood as a scarce early artifact rather than a landmark statement work.
Collector Perspective
This print mainly appeals to early-OBEY completists and scarcity-focused collectors, given the small first edition of 50 and the 1996 date. With limited documentation, its draw is its place in the mid-1990s Giant face-set lineage rather than a specific narrative. The vertical face composition suggested by the title gives it graphic, repeatable appeal that fits well alongside other early Giant editions in a focused grouping. Buyers assembling a timeline of Fairey's formative years will value it as a hard-to-find early piece. Those seeking a print with a strong documented story may prefer better-described works from the same period.
Historical Context
Dated 1996, Top (Vertical Face Set) sits within the prolific mid-1990s phase of Fairey's OBEY output, when the Giant face was his central motif. The record's face-set framing aligns it with his exploration of repeating and varying that icon across formats, a hallmark of the early years before his propaganda aesthetic and political work emerged. With no description in the source, its precise place in the arc is hard to pin down beyond chronology and a small edition of 50. It belongs to the same 1996 cluster as several other early Giant prints and is best read as part of the foundational, experimental period rather than a defined milestone.
FAQ
What is known about Top (Vertical Face Set)?
The source provides no description, so documented detail is limited. What is established is that it is a 1996 screen print published by Obey Giant, a first edition of 50, measuring 18.5 by 24 inches, with a listed price of 25. The title indicates a vertical, face-based composition.
How rare is it?
The source lists a first edition of 50, which is a very small run and places it among the more limited early-period Fairey editions. The source does not state that it is sold out, so availability beyond the edition size is not claimed.
Where does it fit in Fairey's catalog?
It belongs to the prolific mid-1990s period when the Andre the Giant face was Fairey's central motif. The face-set framing connects it to his exploration of repeating and varying that icon, though limited documentation means its specific significance rests mainly on date and scarcity.
What are its dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print measuring 18.5 by 24 inches, dated 1996 and published by Obey Giant. Beyond these stated facts, the source offers no further description of the imagery or concept.
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.