Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Peace Guard 2 Stencil”?
Artist Statement
Peace Guard 2 Stencil (Lisbon release) Edition of 450 Screen print on paper Signed and numbered by Shepard Fairey
Summary
Peace Guard 2 Stencil is a 2017 screen print released by Underdogs for a Lisbon release, measuring 18 x 24 inches on paper. It is a first edition of 450, signed and numbered by Shepard Fairey. The image draws on Fairey's Peace Guard motif, combining peace and anti-war symbolism with his stencil-derived graphic language. Released July 21, 2017, the print extends Fairey's ongoing series of dove and peace-themed works into a stencil treatment tied to his Lisbon project. No original price is recorded in the source.
Why It Matters
Peace Guard 2 Stencil connects two important threads in Fairey's practice: his enduring peace and anti-war iconography and his international mural and gallery work. Published by Underdogs for a Lisbon release, it documents Fairey's engagement with the European street-art scene and gives collectors a geographically specific entry in his catalog. The stencil treatment foregrounds the technique that has defined Fairey's visual identity since his early sticker and wheatpaste days, making the print a clear example of how he translates wall-based imagery into collectible editions. The Peace Guard motif, with its dove-and-guard symbolism, is one of Fairey's recurring peace emblems, and this 2017 stencil version situates it within his broader body of anti-war messaging. With an edition of 450 it is a relatively accessible release, yet its tie to a specific city, publisher, and the stencil aesthetic gives it distinct identity within his peace-themed output. For collectors who organize around Fairey's peace and justice messaging or his international projects, this print offers both thematic resonance and a documented connection to one of his European releases, which broadens its appeal beyond his US-centric editions.
Collector Perspective
This print draws collectors focused on Fairey's peace and anti-war imagery, as well as those who seek works tied to his international projects such as the Lisbon release through Underdogs. The stencil aesthetic appeals to collectors who value the technique most associated with Fairey's street-art roots. At 18 x 24 inches it frames easily and works well grouped with other dove and peace-themed prints. The edition of 450 makes it broadly attainable, and it fits naturally into a collection organized around peace messaging or around Fairey's recurring Peace Guard motif and its earlier and later variants.
Historical Context
Peace Guard 2 Stencil extends Fairey's long-running Peace Guard motif, which appears across multiple years and formats in his catalog. Released July 21, 2017 through Underdogs for a Lisbon project, it reflects Fairey's deepening involvement with the European street-art and gallery scene during the mid-2010s. The stencil treatment ties the work directly to the technique that launched his career through stickers and wheatpaste, now applied within a fine-art screen-print edition. Thematically it belongs to his sustained body of peace and anti-war imagery, and chronologically it sits within the Posters and Propaganda phase of his career, where his agitprop messaging and printmaking practice reinforce one another.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Peace Guard 2 Stencil?
It is a first edition of 450, signed and numbered by Shepard Fairey. The print was published by Underdogs for a Lisbon release and dates to July 21, 2017. The source does not record an original retail price for this edition.
What are the dimensions and medium?
Peace Guard 2 Stencil measures 18 x 24 inches and is a screen print on paper. It uses Fairey's stencil-derived imagery and is signed and numbered, placing it among his peace-themed editioned prints.
How does this relate to the Peace Guard motif?
The print is a stencil treatment of Fairey's Peace Guard 2 image, which itself follows the original Peace Guard from 2008. The motif recurs across several years and formats, and this 2017 stencil version is tied to his Lisbon project through Underdogs.
Why is this print connected to Lisbon?
The source describes it as a Lisbon release published by Underdogs, the Lisbon-based art platform. This ties the print to Fairey's European mural and gallery activity rather than his US Obey Giant releases.
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.