Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Debbie Harry Zebra Skin”?
Artist Statement
DEBBIE HARRY ZEBRA SKIN Blondie is one of my all-time favorite bands. I’ve been a fan since I discovered them as a kid on pop radio. After I got into punk, I learned more about Blondie’s evolution from the CBGB’s scene alongside bands like The Ramones, Talking Heads, Television, and Suicide. I always appreciated Blondie’s stylistic diversity, tackling genres such as rock, girl group soul, disco, hip-hop, and reggae. Blondie’s front woman Debbie Harry is an amazing vocalist, lyricist, style icon, beauty, and embodiment of NYC cool. I’ve admired Blondie and Debbie enough from a distance to make a few portraits of her over the years, but this is my first portrait of her since I’ve been friends with her and her Blondie co-founder, songwriter, and guitarist Chris Stein. Chris happens to be a great photographer and took the picture of Debbie my illustration is based on. I worked on some writing and the design for Chris’s photo book: Chris Stein / Negative: Me, Blondie, and the Advent of Punk and Chris offered to allow me to work from any of his photos. I was excited to work from Chris’s picture of Debbie with the Zebra background because I love her expression and the pop art sensibility of the Zebra skin. I took inspiration from Warhol’s portrait of Debbie, one of my favorite pieces by a favorite artist, which was coincidentally captured in progress by Chris Stein. Debbie and Chris are incredibly down to earth and were willing to sign the print also. I feel very lucky to know Debbie and Chris and grateful that they wanted to do this collaboration. -Shepard Release Date: Thursday, November 13th at a random time between 10am and 12 noon (PST) on Obeygiant.com. 18×24 screen print on cream speckle tone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey, Chris Stein, and Debbie Harry. Edition of 450. $75.
Summary
Debbie Harry Zebra Skin is a 2014 Shepard Fairey screen print portrait of Blondie's Debbie Harry, measuring 18 x 24 inches on cream speckletone paper, in an edition of 450 at a $75 release price. Published by Obey Giant and released November 13, 2014, the portrait is based on a photograph by Blondie co-founder Chris Stein and features a pop-art zebra-skin background. It is notably signed by Shepard Fairey, Chris Stein, and Debbie Harry. Fairey's release text describes his long admiration for Blondie, his friendship with Harry and Stein, and his inspiration from Warhol's portrait of Harry.
Why It Matters
Debbie Harry Zebra Skin stands out as a triple-signed collaboration, bearing the signatures of Shepard Fairey, Debbie Harry, and Chris Stein per the source, which gives it unusual provenance weight within his catalog. The portrait is based on Stein's own photograph of Harry, made during the period when Fairey worked on the design for Stein's photo book, establishing a documented personal and creative relationship that elevates the work beyond a standard tribute. Fairey's release text situates the piece within his deep engagement with the CBGB punk scene and names Blondie among his all-time favorite bands, while explicitly acknowledging inspiration from Warhol's portrait of Harry, a lineage that connects this print to pop-art history. The zebra-skin background gives it a distinctive, fashion-forward visual character tied to Harry's status as a style icon. At an edition of 450 and a $75 release price, it is accessible yet distinguished by its collaborative signatures. For a database, it documents one of Fairey's most personally connected music portraits, where friendship, photographic source, and multiple signatures combine to make it a high-interest crossover object for both art and music memorabilia collectors.
Collector Perspective
This print is highly attractive to Blondie and Debbie Harry fans, punk and new-wave music collectors, and Fairey collectors who prize collaborative, multi-signed works. The triple signature by Fairey, Harry, and Stein gives it standout provenance that detail-oriented and investment-minded buyers value. Its bold zebra-skin background and pop-art sensibility make it a striking display piece, and its connection to Stein's photography and Warhol's portrait lineage adds depth for collectors who appreciate art-historical context. It fits a collection organized around Fairey's music portraits and collaborations, pairing well with his other CBGB-era and music-icon prints. At an edition of 450, it remains accessible while its signatures distinguish it from his standard solo-signed editions.
Historical Context
Debbie Harry Zebra Skin sits within Fairey's celebration of CBGB-era punk and new-wave figures, here honoring Blondie's Debbie Harry. Released in 2014 through Obey Giant, it reflects his personal relationships in the music world: the portrait is based on a photograph by Chris Stein, Blondie co-founder, taken during the period Fairey worked on Stein's photo book about Blondie and the rise of punk. The print's acknowledged debt to Warhol's portrait of Harry ties it to pop-art portraiture, a tradition Fairey openly draws from. Within his arc, it belongs to his ongoing music-portrait practice but is distinguished by the collaborative involvement and signatures of both Harry and Stein, marking it as one of his more personally rooted music tributes.
FAQ
What is Debbie Harry Zebra Skin?
It is a 2014 Shepard Fairey screen print portrait of Blondie's Debbie Harry, based on a photograph by Chris Stein and featuring a pop-art zebra-skin background. It measures 18 x 24 inches on cream speckletone paper, in an edition of 450 at a $75 release price, published by Obey Giant.
Who signed this print?
Per the source, the print is signed by Shepard Fairey, Chris Stein, and Debbie Harry. Fairey notes that Harry and Stein, who are friends of his, were willing to sign, making this a triple-signed collaborative edition.
What is the portrait based on?
Fairey's text states the illustration is based on a photograph of Debbie Harry taken by Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, with the zebra background. He created it during the period he worked on the design for Stein's photo book about Blondie and the advent of punk.
What artistic influences does Fairey cite?
Fairey states he took inspiration from Andy Warhol's portrait of Debbie Harry, which he calls one of his favorite pieces by a favorite artist and which was coincidentally photographed in progress by Chris Stein.
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.