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What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Damaged Wrong Path Mural (Large Format)”?

Year2018
MediumScreen Print
Dimensions32 x 57 in
EditionLarge Format
Edition size75
PublisherObey Giant
Original release price$1000
SeriesPolitical Series
EraModern Activism Era
Collector8/10
Visual9/10
Historical7/10
ScarcityScarce

Artist Statement

Damaged Wrong Path Mural Large Format. 32 x 57 inches. 5 color screen print on cream 100% cotton custom archival paper by Legion Paper with hand-deckled edges. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 75. $1,000. Obey publishing chop in lower left corner. Comes with Certificate of Authenticity (COA).

Summary

Damaged Wrong Path Mural (Large Format) is a 2018 Shepard Fairey screenprint measuring 32 x 57 inches. It is a five-color screenprint on cream 100% cotton custom archival paper by Legion Paper with hand-deckled edges, published by Obey Giant. The work is signed by Fairey, numbered in an edition of 75, carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. Released at $1,000, this large-format piece is tied to Fairey's Damaged body of work and engages his recurring themes of power and consumerism. Its scale, premium paper, and small edition mark it as a higher-tier studio release.

Why It Matters

Damaged Wrong Path Mural is a large-format, premium-production print connected to Fairey's Damaged project, one of the most ambitious chapters of his later career. Where many of his editions are accessible 18 x 24 screenprints, this work is built as a statement object: 32 x 57 inches, five colors, hand-deckled archival cotton paper, an Obey chop, and a Certificate of Authenticity. That combination of scale and craft signals a deliberate fine-art register rather than a quick poster release. For collectors, the edition of 75 is the decisive fact, placing it among the scarcer, more serious offerings in Fairey's catalog and well above his common large editions. Thematically it continues his critique of power and consumerism, using the mural-derived composition to translate a public-scale image into a collectible print. Its importance lies in being a flagship-tier piece from a landmark exhibition era: it documents how Fairey scaled his street-mural language into archival editions for committed collectors. Within a collection it functions as a centerpiece, anchoring a grouping of large-format power-and-consumerism works and demonstrating the upper end of his print production values.

Collector Perspective

This is a piece for collectors seeking a centerpiece rather than an entry-level print. The 32 x 57 scale, five-color screenprinting, hand-deckled Legion Paper, Obey chop, and included Certificate of Authenticity all appeal to buyers who prioritize production quality and provenance. The edition of 75 makes it considerably less common than Fairey's standard runs, which matters to collectors who weigh scarcity. At its larger original price it targets established Fairey collectors and those furnishing a wall that can carry a mural-scale image. It fits naturally into a focused group of large-format power-and-consumerism works, where its size and finish let it dominate. Display demands wall space, but the payoff is a commanding, gallery-grade statement piece.

Historical Context

The print belongs to Fairey's Damaged period, described in the source as the largest show of his career so far, when he expanded his studio output into large-format, archival editions and even sculpture. By 2018 he was translating his street-mural imagery into premium collectible objects, and Damaged Wrong Path Mural exemplifies that move: a mural composition reissued as a five-color, hand-deckled screenprint with a chop and Certificate of Authenticity. It sits among a cluster of related large-format works from 2018-2019 that share this elevated production approach and his power-and-consumerism themes. Rather than a casual release, it reflects a mature phase in which Fairey paired major exhibitions with limited, high-craft editions aimed at serious collectors, marking the upper tier of his print practice during this era.

FAQ

What makes this a higher-tier Fairey print?

It is a 32 x 57 inch, five-color screenprint on cream 100% cotton custom archival Legion Paper with hand-deckled edges, carries the Obey publishing chop, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The combination of scale and craft places it above standard editions.

How large is the edition?

Damaged Wrong Path Mural (Large Format) is a numbered edition of 75, signed by Shepard Fairey. That run is notably smaller than many of his standard releases, and the original release price was $1,000.

Does it come with authentication?

Yes. According to the source, the print includes a Certificate of Authenticity and bears the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner, in addition to being signed and numbered by Fairey.

What is the piece about?

The work derives from a mural in Fairey's Damaged body of work and engages his recurring critique of power and consumerism, translating a large public-scale image into a limited archival print.

Related Works

About the Artist

Shepard Fairey portrait

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.