Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Skull Of A Black Planet”?
Artist Statement
10 inches by 13 inches Letterpress on white cotton paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. $65.
Summary
Skull Of A Black Planet is a 2016 letterpress work published by Obey Giant, measuring 10 by 13 inches and printed on white cotton paper. It was issued in a numbered edition of 450 and is signed by Shepard Fairey. The piece sits within Fairey's collaborations-and-pop-culture output with an environment-and-climate connection, its title and imagery evoking ecological darkness and fossil-fuel critique. The intimate letterpress format and white cotton stock distinguish it from his larger screen prints, offering a tactile, small-scale example of the artist's work at an accessible price point.
Why It Matters
Skull Of A Black Planet brings together two recurring strands in Shepard Fairey's work: his pop-culture-inflected collaborations and his environmental commentary, with the title's imagery of a darkened planet signaling concern over ecological harm and fossil-fuel dependence. The choice of letterpress rather than screen print gives the work a distinct tactile quality, the embossed impression of letterpress on white cotton paper offering a material experience different from his flatter screen-printed editions. At 10 by 13 inches it is an intimate piece, well suited to collectors who value craft and detail over wall-dominating scale. The numbered edition of 450 places it among Fairey's more available runs, keeping it accessible while retaining signed-and-numbered collectibility. For collectors focused on his environmental output, the work pairs naturally with related titles addressing oil, crisis, and ecological decline. Its significance lies in capturing Fairey's environmental concern in a deliberately crafted small format, demonstrating how the artist deploys medium and scale expressively. As a signed letterpress on cotton stock, it offers a different texture and presence within a Fairey collection than his more ubiquitous large screen prints, making it a thoughtful complement rather than a headline acquisition.
Collector Perspective
This piece appeals to collectors who appreciate letterpress craft and intimate scale, offering a tactile alternative to Fairey's larger screen prints. Its environment-and-climate connection makes it a fit for those building a thematic grouping around his ecological work, pairing well with oil- and crisis-themed titles. The small 10-by-13-inch format on white cotton paper is easy to frame and group, and the signed, numbered edition of 450 keeps it accessible. Collectors who value medium variety within their holdings, or who want an affordable signed Fairey on quality cotton stock, will find it a satisfying addition that broadens the texture of a collection beyond standard screen prints.
Historical Context
Skull Of A Black Planet belongs to Fairey's mid-2010s output, released through Obey Giant in 2016. It reflects two ongoing concerns in his practice, pop-culture collaboration and environmental critique, the latter increasingly prominent in his work during this period. The letterpress medium and small format situate it among his more craft-oriented, intimate releases, contrasting with the large screen prints that dominate his catalog. It sits alongside contemporaneous environmental and oil-themed works such as Drink Crude Oil and Blood & Oil Mandala, forming part of a recognizable thread in which Fairey turns his graphic vocabulary toward ecological and fossil-fuel themes.
FAQ
What medium and size is Skull Of A Black Planet?
It is a letterpress work measuring 10 inches by 13 inches, printed on white cotton paper. The letterpress process gives it a tactile, embossed quality that differs from Fairey's flatter screen prints, and the intimate scale suits close viewing and framing.
How large is the edition and is it signed?
According to the source, it was issued in a numbered edition of 450 and is signed by Shepard Fairey. It was published by Obey Giant in 2016. The mid-to-larger edition keeps it accessible while retaining signed-and-numbered collectibility.
What themes does the work address?
The piece connects to Fairey's collaborations-and-pop-culture output with an environment-and-climate dimension. Its title imagery of a darkened planet evokes ecological harm and fossil-fuel concern, themes Fairey explored across several works in this period.
How does it differ from Fairey's screen prints?
Unlike his large screen prints, this is a small letterpress on white cotton paper. The medium and scale make it a more intimate, craft-oriented object, offering material variety within a Fairey collection.
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.