Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Be Reasonable”?
Artist Statement
The Sex Pistols changed my life. When I was a 14-year-old skateboarder, a friend played me "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols," and that moment marked a turning point for me. The Sex Pistols provided the adrenaline-inducing soundtrack for my rebellion. If the Sex Pistols provided the soundtrack, the artist behind their imagery, Jamie Reid, provided the visuals for the revolution. Jamie Reid did the iconic art for the Sex Pistols like the "God Save the Queen" sleeve, the "Pretty Vacant" sleeve, and the cover for the album "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols." Jamie deserves the majority of credit for the daring aesthetics of Punk Rock. If you've ever seen a photocopied, ransom note style, cut & paste punk graphic, then you've seen Jamie Reid's influence. Jamie has been one of my biggest creative inspirations both visually and philosophically, because his work is bold, provocative, irreverent, and political. Jamie Reid also turned me on to Situationism, a movement dedicated to disrupting the conformist trance through pranks and spectacles. I'm honored that I have been able to work with Jamie on some collaborative images and to present a special collection through Obey Clothing in his honor, as well as two limited edition screen-prints. Jamie and I have mutual interest in shaking things up and addressing the problems of corruption, environmental destruction, and wealth inequality, so it is very energizing and meaningful to do a project with him. Enjoy and embrace the chaos! – Shepard Be Reasonable, Shepard Fairey x Jamie Reid. 18 inches by 24 inches on white Speckle Tone paper. Numbered Edition of 375. Signed by Shepard Fairey.
Summary
Be Reasonable is a 2016 screen print by Shepard Fairey in collaboration with British punk artist Jamie Reid, published by Obey Giant on white Speckle Tone paper at 18 by 24 inches. It is a signed, numbered first edition of 375. The print is one of two limited editions from a Fairey x Jamie Reid project honoring Reid, the designer behind the Sex Pistols' landmark artwork. Released March 1, 2016, at $70, it draws on the cut-and-paste, ransom-note punk aesthetic Reid pioneered, filtered through Fairey's graphic sensibility.
Why It Matters
Be Reasonable, the companion to Suburban Pressure, captures Fairey's tribute to Jamie Reid, the artist he credits as a foundational creative and philosophical influence. The source recounts how the Sex Pistols and Reid's visuals shaped Fairey as a teenage skateboarder and how Reid introduced him to Situationism, the movement dedicated to disrupting conformist conformity through pranks and spectacle. That connection gives the print real art-historical weight: Reid's ransom-note, cut-and-paste punk graphics are a direct ancestor of the DIY aesthetic Fairey carried into street art and OBEY. For collectors, this is a documented collaboration between Fairey and one of his heroes, released as one of two screen-prints alongside an Obey Clothing collection in Reid's honor. The source also notes the artists' shared concern with corruption, environmental destruction, and wealth inequality, lending the work a political edge consistent with both careers. As a signed, numbered edition of 375 on white Speckle Tone paper, Be Reasonable sits at the crossroads of music, counterculture, and protest graphics, and offers collectors a tangible link between punk's visual revolution and Fairey's own propaganda-influenced practice.
Collector Perspective
Be Reasonable appeals to punk fans, Jamie Reid enthusiasts, and Fairey collectors who value collaborations with his formative influences. As a signed, numbered edition of 375 on white Speckle Tone paper, it pairs naturally with its companion, Suburban Pressure, making the two a sought-after set for buyers who want the complete Fairey x Reid pairing. Its lineage to the Sex Pistols and the cut-and-paste punk aesthetic gives it strong storytelling appeal on a music or counterculture wall. Collectors attuned to the political themes Fairey cites, corruption, environmental destruction, and wealth inequality, will value its substance beyond nostalgia. It rewards owners who appreciate the bridge between punk's graphic legacy and Fairey's own visual roots.
Historical Context
Be Reasonable is one of two limited screen-prints from Fairey's 2016 collaboration with Jamie Reid, the designer whose Sex Pistols work helped define punk's visual language. The source positions Reid as a key influence on Fairey, both stylistically and through Situationism, which Reid introduced him to. This places the print at a personal and art-historical junction: a mature Fairey honoring the cut-and-paste punk graphics that shaped his street-art beginnings. Released with an Obey Clothing collection celebrating Reid, it reflects Fairey's mid-2010s pattern of constructing projects around his heroes and collaborators. The work links his long-standing debt to British punk with his own propaganda-derived style, and its shared themes of corruption and inequality echo concerns central to both artists. Alongside Suburban Pressure, it belongs among Fairey's music-and-counterculture editions of this era.
FAQ
Who collaborated on Be Reasonable?
Be Reasonable is a collaboration between Shepard Fairey and Jamie Reid, the British artist behind the Sex Pistols' iconic artwork. Fairey calls Reid one of his biggest creative and philosophical inspirations, citing his cut-and-paste punk graphics and his introduction to Situationism.
What are the edition specifications?
It is a numbered first edition of 375, printed on white Speckle Tone paper at 18 by 24 inches and signed by Shepard Fairey. Published by Obey Giant in 2016, the print originally sold for $70.
Is Be Reasonable part of a set?
Yes. According to the source, it was one of two limited screen-prints from the broader Fairey x Jamie Reid project, alongside Suburban Pressure, and accompanied a special Obey Clothing collection released in Reid's honor.
What themes does the collaboration address?
The source states Fairey and Reid share an interest in shaking things up and addressing corruption, environmental destruction, and wealth inequality, giving the print a political dimension rooted in both artists' work.
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.