Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Collage Icon Middle (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
COLLAGE ICON MIDDLE Large Format Screen Print. 30 inches by 38 1/2 inches. Limited Numbered Edition of 70. 100% cotton archival paper with deckled edges. OBEY publishing chop on bottom left corner. Signed by Shepard Fairey. $750. Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Summary
Collage Icon Middle (Large Format) is a 2016 large-format screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a numbered edition of 70. It measures 30 by 38.5 inches and is printed on 100% cotton archival paper with deckled edges, carrying the OBEY publishing chop in the bottom-left corner. The print depicts the middle section of Fairey's collaged OBEY icon, building the Andre the Giant face from layered, textured paper elements. As the central panel of a three-part composition, it bridges the Top and Bottom panels and completes the stacked portrait when shown together, while also standing on its own. Signed by Shepard Fairey and issued with a Certificate of Authenticity at $750.
Why It Matters
As the central panel of Fairey's three-part Collage Icon, this print carries the core of the OBEY face, the image born from his 1989 Andre the Giant sticker campaign and now reworked in layered, weathered collage. The handmade, wheatpaste-like texture deliberately recalls Fairey's street-poster roots while elevating the icon to a large, archival fine print. Its role as the middle section makes it pivotal to collectors assembling the full vertical composition: it anchors the stacked portrait and joins the Top and Bottom panels into a single monumental image. The small edition of 70 and the 30-by-38.5-inch scale give it both presence and relative scarcity within Fairey's prolific OBEY output. For Gauntlet Gallery's audience, it exemplifies the artist returning to his signature motif with a more painterly, textural approach. Archival cotton paper, deckled edges, the publishing chop, signature, and Certificate of Authenticity firmly place it in the collectible fine-print category. Whether displayed solo or as the linchpin of the trio, it is a desirable centerpiece for a focused OBEY-iconography collection.
Collector Perspective
This piece suits committed OBEY-iconography collectors and buyers seeking a large, central statement work. Its strongest appeal is completionism: as the middle of a three-part stacked portrait, it tends to pull collectors toward acquiring the Top and Bottom panels for the full composition, while still holding up alone as a textured, large-scale face. The 30-by-38.5-inch format reads as a commanding focal point in a modern interior, and the collage surface rewards close viewing. The edition of 70, archival cotton paper, deckled edges, and Certificate of Authenticity speak to value-conscious collectors. It sits comfortably alongside other large-format OBEY works and retro OBEY logo prints in a dedicated icon collection.
Historical Context
The OBEY face descends from Fairey's 1989 Andre the Giant sticker, which became the stylized OBEY GIANT icon central to his career and to the broader street-art movement. This 2016 large-format collage version belongs to a mature studio phase in which Fairey repeatedly reinterpreted his foundational imagery using layered, handmade techniques. Published by Obey Giant on archival cotton paper, it reflects the studio's emphasis on larger, more collectible editions of canonical work. As the central panel of a deliberately sectioned three-part image, it demonstrates Fairey fragmenting and re-presenting the icon for collectors. It forms part of the continuing line of OBEY-icon prints that anchor his catalog and link his contemporary output to his early wheatpaste practice.
FAQ
What are the dimensions and paper?
Collage Icon Middle (Large Format) measures 30 by 38.5 inches and is printed on 100% cotton archival paper with deckled edges. The large format and archival stock make it suitable as a focal display piece with long-term durability.
How many were made?
It is a limited numbered edition of 70, published by Obey Giant in 2016. This relatively small run places it among the more limited large-format OBEY-icon screen prints in Fairey's catalog.
Is it signed and does it include a COA?
Yes. The print is signed by Shepard Fairey, bears the OBEY publishing chop in the bottom-left corner, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, according to the source listing.
Does it belong to a set?
It is the central panel of a three-part composition alongside Collage Icon Top and Collage Icon Bottom. Shown together, the three large-format prints form the complete stacked OBEY collage portrait.
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.