Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Collage Icon Top (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
COLLAGE ICON TOP 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 Top (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, with the OBEY publishing chop in the bottom-left corner. The print renders the top section of Fairey's collaged OBEY icon, building the Andre the Giant face from layered, textured paper elements. As the upper panel of a three-part composition, it crowns the Middle and Bottom panels to complete the stacked portrait, while also standing alone. Signed by Shepard Fairey and issued with a Certificate of Authenticity at $750.
Why It Matters
As the top panel of Fairey's three-part Collage Icon, this print presents the upper portion of the OBEY face, the image that grew out of his 1989 Andre the Giant sticker campaign and became his signature motif. Rebuilt from layered, weathered paper, the collage approach foregrounds the wheatpaste, street-poster texture central to Fairey's origins while elevating the icon to a large archival fine print. Its position as the upper section makes it essential to collectors assembling the full vertical composition: it caps the stacked portrait and unites with the Middle and Bottom panels into one monumental image. The small edition of 70 and the 30-by-38.5-inch scale provide both visual presence and relative scarcity within Fairey's extensive OBEY catalog. For the Gauntlet Gallery audience, it shows the artist revisiting his most recognizable image with a more painterly, handmade sensibility. The archival cotton paper, deckled edges, publishing chop, signature, and Certificate of Authenticity place it squarely in the collectible fine-print tier. Displayed alone or as the crown of the trio, it is a compelling piece for a focused OBEY-iconography collection.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to dedicated OBEY-iconography collectors and to buyers wanting a large, statement-scale image. Its central appeal is completionism: as the top of a three-part stacked portrait, it encourages acquiring the Middle and Bottom panels to display the full composition, while still working alone as a textured, large face. The 30-by-38.5-inch format gives it strong presence as a focal wall piece in a modern interior, and the collage surface rewards close inspection. The edition of 70, archival cotton paper, deckled edges, and Certificate of Authenticity appeal to value-minded collectors. It pairs naturally with other large-format OBEY works and retro OBEY logo prints in a dedicated icon collection.
Historical Context
The OBEY icon originates with Fairey's 1989 Andre the Giant sticker, which evolved into the stylized OBEY GIANT face foundational to his career and to street-art history. This 2016 large-format collage version belongs to a mature studio phase in which Fairey often reworked his core imagery with layered, handmade methods. Published by Obey Giant on archival cotton paper, it reflects the studio's focus on larger, more collectible editions of canonical work. As the upper panel of a deliberately sectioned three-part image, it shows Fairey fragmenting and re-presenting the icon for collectors. It is part of the continuing line of OBEY-icon prints that anchor his catalog and tie his contemporary output to his early wheatpaste practice.
FAQ
What size is this print and what paper is used?
Collage Icon Top (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 well suited as a focal display piece built for long-term durability.
What is the edition size?
It is a limited numbered edition of 70, published by Obey Giant in 2016. That comparatively small run places it among the more limited large-format OBEY-icon screen prints in Fairey's catalog.
Is it signed and authenticated?
Yes. The print is signed by Shepard Fairey, carries the OBEY publishing chop in the bottom-left corner, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, per the source listing.
Is this one of a set?
It is the top panel of a three-part composition with Collage Icon Middle and Collage Icon Bottom. Displayed 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.