Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Tom Petty: An American Treasure (Canvas)”?
Artist Statement
I've been a fan of Tom Petty since I first heard "Refugee" and "Don't Do Me Like That" on the radio as a nine-year-old kid. I was lucky enough to work with Tom on several projects before he passed and I was honored when Adria Petty reached out to me to illustrate a portrait of her dad for the cover of the "Tom Petty: An American Treasure" box set. I created my illustration based on the iconic photograph shot by Mark Seliger. There are two different posters, one based on the album art that's more graphic and one based on a painting I made using the same illustration. I'm pleased with the result and honored to contribute to the legacy of a musician who has contributed so much fantastic music to my life and this world! – Shepard Tom Petty: An American Treasure Canvas on Speckle Tone True White Paper. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 275. $60.
Summary
Tom Petty: An American Treasure (Canvas) is a 2018 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered edition of 275. Measuring 18 x 24 inches and printed on speckle-tone true white paper, it portrays the late musician Tom Petty. Fairey created the illustration for the cover of the "Tom Petty: An American Treasure" box set at the request of Adria Petty, basing it on an iconic photograph by Mark Seliger. The portrait pairs Fairey's graphic poster style with a tribute to a musician he admired and had worked with, honoring Petty's legacy.
Why It Matters
This portrait is a personal and commemorative work, made by Fairey to honor Tom Petty after the musician's death. The source recounts that Fairey had been a fan since childhood, worked with Petty on several projects, and was asked by Adria Petty to illustrate a portrait for the official "Tom Petty: An American Treasure" box set, basing it on Mark Seliger's iconic photograph. That official-tribute provenance gives the print unusual significance among Fairey's music portraits: it is tied to a sanctioned box-set commission rather than a speculative homage. Thematically it sits squarely in Fairey's portraits-and-legacy and music-collaboration territory, applying his graphic treatment to a beloved American songwriter. The canvas variant on speckle-tone true white paper, signed and numbered in an edition of 275, makes it a defined collectible within his music output. For collectors, the combination of a recognizable musical subject, documented connection to the artist's estate, a source photo by a noted photographer, and Fairey's personal narrative gives the piece both emotional resonance and clear context, distinguishing it from a generic celebrity portrait.
Collector Perspective
This print is a natural target for collectors of Fairey's music portraiture and for Tom Petty fans seeking an artist-made, estate-connected tribute. The documented commission for the official box set and the Mark Seliger source photo add provenance appeal. At 18 x 24 inches on speckle-tone true white paper, it is an accessible, frameable size that displays well alongside other music portraits in Fairey's catalog. The signed, numbered edition of 275 keeps it attainable while still a defined first-edition release. It fits collections organized around musicians and legacy portraits, and it carries crossover appeal to music-memorabilia collectors who value its connection to the "An American Treasure" box set.
Historical Context
Tom Petty: An American Treasure belongs to Fairey's extensive body of music portraiture and reflects his ongoing collaborations with musicians and their estates. The source notes Fairey worked with Petty on several projects before the musician's passing and was invited by Adria Petty to create the box-set cover illustration, basing it on Mark Seliger's photograph. The work joins a long line of Fairey music tributes that translate admired performers into his propaganda-derived graphic idiom. Issued in 2018 as a canvas variant in an edition of 275, it documents how Fairey continued to merge his fandom with commissioned legacy work during this period, contributing officially to the visual memory of a major American musician rather than producing an unauthorized homage.
FAQ
Why did Fairey create the Tom Petty portrait?
Adria Petty asked Fairey to illustrate a portrait of her father for the cover of the "Tom Petty: An American Treasure" box set. Fairey, a longtime fan who had worked with Petty, based the illustration on a photograph by Mark Seliger.
What is the edition size and price?
It is a signed, numbered canvas edition of 275, priced at $60 according to the source. The print measures 18 x 24 inches on speckle-tone true white paper.
What is the source image?
Fairey based his illustration on an iconic photograph of Tom Petty shot by Mark Seliger, then created two poster versions, one more graphic from the album art and one from a painting using the same illustration.
What themes does the work address?
It is a music portrait and legacy tribute, with the record citing portraits-and-legacy and collaborations/pop-culture themes. It honors Petty's contribution to music through Fairey's graphic portrait style.
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.