Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Bitches Are Back!”?
Artist Statement
I've been a Blondie fan since I was nine-years-old and I've always admired their courage to play music in styles ranging from punk to reggae, to hip-hop, to pop. I've collaborated with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein on a couple of projects, but I was incredibly honored to be asked to design the newest Blondie album package for their album Pollinator, which by the way, is excellent. As an additional art component to the actual album package, I also did the tour posters for a few legs of their tour in support of the album. I have 150 of each print signed and numbered for sale on my website ObeyGiant.com, and these are the only signed and numbered prints that will be available. Be sure to listen to Pollinator if you haven't already! – Shepard Bitches are Back! 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on cream Speckle Tone Paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 150. $45.
Summary
Bitches Are Back! is a 2017 screenprint on cream Speckle Tone paper, 18 x 24 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in a first edition of 150, published by Obey Giant. The print is a Blondie tour poster created alongside Fairey's design for the band's album Pollinator. A self-described Blondie fan since age nine, Fairey states he collaborated with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein and produced tour posters for several legs of the Pollinator tour. He notes these are the only signed and numbered prints of this image that will be available, with 150 made for sale through ObeyGiant.com.
Why It Matters
Bitches Are Back! is part of Fairey's significant Blondie collaboration, tied directly to the band's 2017 Pollinator album for which he designed the package. That direct creative partnership with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein elevates the print above a standard tour poster: it documents a working relationship between Fairey and one of the most influential bands in the punk-to-pop continuum. The notably small edition of 150, smaller than many of his 2017 releases, makes it comparatively scarce within his catalog and adds collector interest. Fairey explicitly states these are the only signed and numbered prints of this image that will be available, a detail that limits the supply of authenticated examples. The work belongs to a tight cluster of Pollinator-related prints, including Live At The Roundhouse and Rage And Rapture, allowing collectors to pursue the full Blondie set. Combining music history, a documented artist collaboration, and a small signed edition, Bitches Are Back! is a desirable piece for collectors of Fairey's band work and for Blondie fans seeking an artist-credited tour print with limited availability.
Collector Perspective
This print targets Fairey's music collectors and Blondie fans, with crossover appeal driven by the documented Debbie Harry and Chris Stein collaboration. Its small edition of 150 makes it relatively scarce among his 2017 output, which appeals to buyers who prioritize lower edition numbers. The 18 x 24 inch tour-poster format displays well in music rooms and pairs naturally with the companion Pollinator prints, Live At The Roundhouse and Rage And Rapture, encouraging set collecting. Signed and numbered, it offers authenticity reassurance. For collectors assembling a Blondie or band-collaboration grouping, it is a key piece, and Fairey's statement that these are the only signed and numbered prints of the image gives it added pull for completists seeking authoritative editions.
Historical Context
Bitches Are Back! comes from Fairey's 2017 collaboration with Blondie around the album Pollinator, for which he designed the album package and produced tour posters for several legs of the supporting tour. A fan since childhood, Fairey had previously worked with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and this project deepened that relationship. Within his career, the print exemplifies his ongoing role as a designer for musicians he admires, applying his graphic style to band branding and merchandise that then enters the fine-art print market. The small edition of 150 reflects the limited, tour-tied nature of the release. Alongside the related Roundhouse and Rage And Rapture prints, it forms a discrete Pollinator-era group within his broader music catalog.
FAQ
What is Bitches Are Back! connected to?
It is a Blondie tour poster tied to the band's album Pollinator. Fairey designed the Pollinator album package and created tour posters for several legs of the supporting tour, of which this print is one, released as a signed edition.
How small is the edition?
The edition is just 150 signed and numbered prints. Fairey states these are the only signed and numbered prints of this image that will be available, sold through ObeyGiant.com, making it a comparatively limited 2017 release.
Did Fairey work directly with Blondie?
Yes. Fairey writes that he has been a Blondie fan since age nine and has collaborated with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein on projects, including designing the Pollinator album package and its tour posters.
What are the size and medium?
Bitches Are Back! is a screenprint on cream Speckle Tone paper measuring 18 x 24 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey. It was published by Obey Giant in 2017 at an original price of $45.
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.