Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Interpol NYC Calling”?
Artist Statement
Interpol is one of my favorite bands, and I've been lucky enough to collaborate with them throughout the years. My first introduction to them was when I stalked them backstage at Coachella and offered to create art for them if they ever needed it… to my surprise, they knew my work already and decided to take me up on my offer. My first project with Interpol was in 2004 when I created art for the follow up to their debut album, "Antics." Ten years later in 2014, I was approached with another opportunity to not only create a print but also to paint a mural for their fifth studio album, "El Pintor." I'm excited to announce that I'll be releasing a new print that I created in honor of their upcoming show in New York at Madison Square Garden on February 16th! – Shepard Interpol NYC Calling on True White Speckle Tone paper. 18 x 24 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. $50.
Summary
Interpol NYC Calling is a screen print on True White Speckle Tone paper measuring 18 x 24 inches, published in 2019 by Obey Giant in a numbered edition of 550, signed by Shepard Fairey. Per Fairey's statement, he created the print in honor of the band Interpol's show at Madison Square Garden on February 16th. He describes Interpol as one of his favorite bands and recounts a long collaborative history with them, including album art for Antics in 2004 and a print and mural for the album El Pintor in 2014. The print celebrates that ongoing relationship and the New York concert.
Why It Matters
Interpol NYC Calling documents one of Fairey's longest-running musical collaborations. In his statement he calls Interpol one of his favorite bands and traces a relationship that began when he stalked them backstage at Coachella and offered to make art for them, only to learn they already knew his work. He then created art for the follow-up to their debut, Antics, in 2004, and a decade later in 2014 produced both a print and a mural for their album El Pintor. This print, made to honor their Madison Square Garden show on February 16th, is the latest chapter in that arc, which gives it narrative weight beyond a one-off concert poster. For collectors, the piece is a marker of Fairey's deep ties to the indie-rock band and of his practice of commemorating specific performances. The True White Speckle Tone stock and the modest edition of 550 frame it as a collectible tied to a dated event. A basic listing would note the band and the size; the richer significance is the documented, multi-year collaboration the print caps, making it meaningful to fans of both the artist and the band.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to Interpol fans, collectors of music and concert art, and followers of Fairey's band collaborations. Its draw is the documented history Fairey recounts, spanning Antics in 2004 and El Pintor in 2014, plus its tie to a specific Madison Square Garden date, which gives it event provenance that concert-art collectors prize. At 18 x 24 inches on True White Speckle Tone paper it displays cleanly and fits a Music Series collection or an Interpol-focused grouping. The signed, numbered edition of 550 provides standard documentation. Collectors assembling Fairey's musician collaborations will value it as the most recent installment in his long relationship with the band.
Historical Context
Released in early 2019 by Obey Giant, Interpol NYC Calling extends a collaboration Fairey dates back to 2004, when he created art for the follow-up to the band's debut album Antics, and 2014, when he made a print and mural for El Pintor. Tied to Interpol's February 16th Madison Square Garden concert, it belongs to his ongoing practice of producing prints that commemorate specific shows and sustain relationships with musicians he admires. Within his arc, the piece illustrates how Fairey's music work is often relational and longitudinal rather than transactional, building on years of mutual collaboration with a single band rather than a single commission.
FAQ
What occasion does this print mark?
Fairey created it in honor of Interpol's upcoming show in New York at Madison Square Garden on February 16th, as stated in the source. The print celebrates that concert and his ongoing relationship with the band.
How far back does Fairey's work with Interpol go?
He recounts a long history: his first project with the band was in 2004, creating art for the follow-up to their debut album, Antics. Ten years later in 2014 he made both a print and a mural for their fifth studio album, El Pintor.
What are the size, paper and edition?
Interpol NYC Calling is 18 x 24 inches on True White Speckle Tone paper, signed by Shepard Fairey, in a numbered edition of 550, published in 2019 by Obey Giant.
How did Fairey first connect with the band?
He describes stalking them backstage at Coachella and offering to create art for them if they ever needed it. To his surprise they already knew his work and took him up on the offer, beginning a collaboration that continues through this print.
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.