Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Print And Destroy (Offset)”?
Artist Statement
The title "Print & Destroy" is a nod to the phrase "Skate and Destroy" coined by C.R. Stecyk. Street art and skateboarding share a lot of the same rebellious energy. I'm a product of the era of mass production, and the mass culture printing has created. I can't imagine my art practice without the influence of, and the use of, printing. Some of my biggest art influences were not paintings but printed things like album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs. The printing press began the democratization of art, and I have used printed posters to spread my artwork and messages in public spaces as well as keep my art affordable by printing multiples. I believe in art as a part of public dialogue, and my Obey Giant street art campaign aspires to arrest visually and provoke intellectually by using printed posters in competition with commercial advertising. Some people say print will be wiped out by digital media, but I say you can never replace the provocative, tactile experience of a print on the street or in a gallery. Printing still matters. – Shepard Print & Destroy. Offset lithograph on cream Speckletone paper. Open edition. 24 x 36 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. $35
Summary
Print & Destroy is a 2019 Shepard Fairey offset lithograph published by Obey Giant on cream Speckletone paper, measuring 24 x 36 inches in a signed open edition. The title nods to C.R. Stecyk's phrase 'Skate and Destroy,' linking street art and skateboarding's shared rebellious energy. Fairey frames the work as a celebration of printing itself, crediting album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs as formative influences. He argues the printing press democratized art and that his Obey Giant campaign uses printed posters to compete with commercial advertising. The piece asserts that print still matters in a digital age.
Why It Matters
Print & Destroy is Fairey's manifesto-in-a-print about the medium that defines his practice. The source has him crediting printed ephemera, album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs, as bigger influences than paintings, and arguing that the printing press began the democratization of art. That makes the work a useful statement of artistic philosophy as much as an image. Its title links street art to skateboarding's rebellious energy through C.R. Stecyk's 'Skate and Destroy,' grounding it in the subcultures that shaped Fairey. As an offset lithograph in an open edition at an accessible original price, the print itself embodies the argument it makes: that affordable, mass-reproducible printing keeps art in public dialogue and competing with advertising. For collectors, that self-aware, philosophy-forward content gives the work a distinct identity within the OBEY catalog, even though the open edition means it is widely available rather than scarce. It is a strong fit for anyone collecting around print culture, skate heritage, or Fairey's stated artistic worldview.
Collector Perspective
Print & Destroy appeals to collectors who love print culture, skateboarding heritage, and Fairey's stated artistic philosophy. As a signed open-edition offset lithograph at an accessible original price, it is one of the more affordable and attainable entry points in the catalog, ideal for newer buyers. The 24 x 36 format and clean graphic design make it a versatile display piece. Because it is open edition, it reads as accessible rather than rare, which suits buyers who want the image and the message over investment scarcity. It fits well in a collection themed around street art, print media, or Fairey's creative manifesto.
Historical Context
Print & Destroy situates Fairey within the lineage of mass-production and DIY subculture that shaped him. The source has him naming album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs as core influences, and framing the printing press as the start of art's democratization, a worldview underpinning his entire Obey Giant campaign of competing with commercial advertising through printed posters. The title's nod to C.R. Stecyk's 'Skate and Destroy' ties it explicitly to skate culture. Released in 2019 as part of a body of offset and letterpress variants, it functions as a 2019 articulation of why printed art remains central to his street-based practice in a digital era.
FAQ
What does the title Print & Destroy refer to?
Per the source, the title is a nod to C.R. Stecyk's phrase 'Skate and Destroy.' Fairey notes that street art and skateboarding share a lot of the same rebellious energy, linking the two subcultures in the print's concept.
Is this an open or limited edition?
According to the source, Print & Destroy is an open edition. It is an offset lithograph on cream Speckletone paper measuring 24 x 36 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in 2019 at an original price of $35.
What is the message of the print?
Fairey frames it as a celebration of printing, crediting album covers, skateboard graphics, punk flyers, and t-shirt designs as influences. He argues the printing press democratized art and that printed posters keep his work affordable and in public dialogue against commercial advertising.
What medium and dimensions does it use?
The source states it is an offset lithograph on cream Speckletone paper measuring 24 x 36 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey. It was issued as an open edition by Obey Giant in 2019.
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.