Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Old School Pasters”?
Artist Statement
Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 140
Summary
Old School Pasters is a 2000 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 140 at 18 x 24 inches. The title references the wheatpasting and street-poster culture at the heart of Fairey's OBEY practice. The supplied record provides only catalog facts and no description of the imagery, so visual interpretation is held cautiously. As a small-edition early-era screen print, it belongs to the foundational Obey Giant catalog that translated Fairey's street-poster roots into collectible works.
Why It Matters
Old School Pasters carries a title that directly invokes the wheatpasting and street-poster tradition from which Fairey's entire OBEY project grew, making it thematically resonant with his origins even where the source omits a description of the image. 'Pasters' nods to the act of pasting posters in public space, the guerrilla practice that defined his late-1980s and 1990s campaigns. As a 2000 screen print in a tight first edition of 140, it sits among the early Obey Giant releases that converted that street ethos into gallery-ready prints. Its appeal is strongest to collectors who prize Fairey's public-art and street-culture lineage and who want works that explicitly reference the OBEY method rather than a celebrity subject. With a small edition, it is comparatively limited within the early catalog. For a knowledge graph, its value lies in connecting Fairey's collectible print practice back to its street-poster foundations, a through-line central to his identity as an artist. Because the record does not describe the actual imagery, specific visual claims are held cautious here; what is firmly supported is its place as a small-edition, early-era Obey Giant screen print whose very title celebrates the do-it-yourself pasting culture that launched Fairey's career.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors drawn to Fairey's street-art and public-poster roots, as well as those building a chronological early Obey Giant archive. The title's reference to wheatpasting culture gives it thematic appeal for buyers who value the OBEY origin story. With a first edition of 140 and standard 18 x 24-inch dimensions, it is a comparatively limited, frame-friendly piece that groups well with other 2000-era releases in a public-art or street-culture display. It fits a collection emphasizing Fairey's DIY foundations. Because the source omits the imagery, buyers should confirm visual details directly before purchase.
Historical Context
Created in 2000, Old School Pasters belongs to the early Obey Giant studio period when Fairey was converting his street-poster practice into collectible prints. Its title directly evokes the wheatpasting culture rooted in his late-1980s Andre the Giant sticker and poster campaigns, anchoring it to the OBEY origin story. It sits among the cluster of 2000 screen prints that established his print catalog, sharing the publisher, medium, and small-edition format of contemporaries like Worker, Nubian Sign, and Mailman. As a work explicitly referencing street-pasting, it stands as a thematic bridge between Fairey's guerrilla beginnings and his maturing studio output.
FAQ
What does the title Old School Pasters refer to?
The title references the wheatpasting and street-poster culture at the core of Fairey's OBEY practice. 'Pasters' nods to pasting posters in public space, the guerrilla method that launched his career and that this 2000 print thematically celebrates.
What are the edition size and dimensions?
It is a screen print produced in a first edition of 140, measuring 18 x 24 inches. The small run makes it comparatively limited within the early catalog, and the standard size makes it easy to frame and display alongside period-matched works.
When was it made and who published it?
It was created in 2000 and published by Obey Giant, Fairey's own studio. It belongs to the formative early-OBEY years when he was translating his street-poster practice into collectible screen prints.
Is the imagery described in the source?
No. The record provides only catalog facts with no description of the visual content. Interpretive claims are therefore held cautiously, and buyers should confirm the actual imagery directly before purchase.
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.