Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “A Message From Our Sponsor (Relief Print)”?
Artist Statement
3-color relief print on handmade paper, 40 ½ x 30 ½ inches, Edition of 25, Published by Pace Editions, Inc.
Summary
A Message From Our Sponsor is a 2015 Shepard Fairey relief print, published by Pace Editions (Pace Prints) on September 17, 2015. It is a 3-color relief print on handmade paper, measuring 40 1/2 x 30 1/2 inches, in an edition of 25. The title borrows the language of broadcast advertising, framing a critique of corporate messaging and consumer culture. As a large-format, hand-printed relief work on handmade paper from a fine-art publisher, it sits among Fairey's more exclusive editions rather than his higher-volume self-published screen prints.
Why It Matters
A Message From Our Sponsor matters as a fine-art relief print in which Fairey turns the familiar phrasing of commercial broadcasting into a pointed critique. The title's appropriation of advertising language is a hallmark Fairey strategy: using the rhetoric of the system he is interrogating to expose it. Produced with Pace Editions as a 3-color relief print on handmade paper in an edition of only 25, the work carries the prestige, craft, and scarcity that distinguish Fairey's gallery-oriented output from his mass-market screen prints. The relief technique and handmade stock give it a tactile, labor-intensive presence, while the large 40 x 30 inch format makes it a wall-anchoring statement. For collectors, the tiny edition and respected publisher mark it as one of the more substantial and collectible Fairey pieces from 2015. It belongs to a tightly linked suite of Pace relief prints released the same day, all sharing format, edition size, and a common critique of corporate power and consumption, so it reads most fully as part of that cohesive group.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors focused on Fairey's fine-art editions and his corporate-critique themes. The Pace Editions imprint, relief technique, handmade paper, and edition of 25 appeal to buyers who value scarcity, craft, and publisher pedigree over high-volume availability. At 40 1/2 x 30 1/2 inches it functions as a large statement piece, ideal as a focal point rather than one tile in a dense grid. It pairs naturally with the companion Pace relief prints from the same day, forming a coherent suite. Collectors building around Fairey's media-and-advertising critique, or those seeking his most gallery-oriented work, will find this a meaningful and distinctive addition.
Historical Context
A Message From Our Sponsor dates to 2015 and is part of Fairey's collaboration with Pace Editions, reflecting his mid-2010s move toward fine-art printmaking alongside his self-published Obey Giant screen prints. The relief process and handmade paper signal an engagement with traditional craft distinct from the silkscreen methods rooted in his street-art origins. The title's use of advertising language continues a long-running thread in Fairey's work, in which he repurposes commercial and propaganda rhetoric to critique the systems behind it. The print belongs to a same-day suite of Pace relief works, marking a moment of cohesive, publisher-backed fine-art output centered on media, consumption, and power.
FAQ
What does the title refer to?
A Message From Our Sponsor borrows the phrasing of broadcast advertising. Fairey often appropriates commercial and propaganda language to critique the systems behind it, and the title frames the work as a comment on corporate messaging and consumer culture.
What is the edition size and publisher?
It is an edition of 25, published by Pace Editions, Inc. (Pace Prints) in 2015. The small edition and respected fine-art publisher set it apart from Fairey's higher-volume, self-published Obey Giant screen prints.
How was it made?
It is a 3-color relief print on handmade paper, measuring 40 1/2 x 30 1/2 inches. Relief printing and handmade stock give the work a tactile, craft-forward quality distinct from the smooth surfaces of Fairey's screen prints.
Is it part of a larger group?
Yes. It belongs to a suite of Pace relief prints released on September 17, 2015, all sharing the same format, edition size of 25, and a common critique of corporate power and consumption. The prints read most fully as a cohesive set.
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.