Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “District 13 Lotus Woman (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
Shepard Fairey, aka Obey, who gave a lecture last year at the fair, honours this edition of District 13 by having created an official poster for the event. This special creation, District 13 Lotus Woman, will be on sale at Drouot during the event only.
Summary
District 13 Lotus Woman (First Edition) is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print created as the official poster for the District 13 art event, published in connection with Hotel Drouot in a first edition of 400, measuring 18 x 24 inches. The image centers on a woman in Fairey's stylized Lotus Woman motif. Fairey, who had lectured at the fair the prior year, made this special creation to honor the District 13 edition, and it was offered for sale at Drouot during the event only. The source description is brief, focusing on the poster's commemorative role rather than detailed visual or production notes.
Why It Matters
District 13 Lotus Woman documents a moment of exchange between Shepard Fairey and the European art-fair circuit, created as the official poster for the District 13 event after Fairey delivered a lecture there the previous year. As an event poster tied to Hotel Drouot and available at Drouot during the event only, it carries the character of a commemorative, occasion-specific release rather than a standalone studio edition. The Lotus Woman motif connects it to Fairey's recurring exploration of women as central subjects, rendered with the decorative, flower-framed styling he has returned to across years and formats. At an edition of 400 and a modest issue price, it sits in the more accessible tier of his output, making it a natural entry point for collectors drawn to his portraits of women or to the story behind a specific institutional collaboration. Because the supplied description is short and concerned mainly with the event context, the most defensible value lies in its provenance as an official event poster and its place within Fairey's broader Lotus Woman lineage, rather than in claims about its imagery or technique that the source does not detail.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who value Fairey's portraits of women and who appreciate works with a clear event provenance. Tied to the District 13 event and Hotel Drouot and sold at Drouot during the event only, it carries a built-in story that distinguishes it from open studio releases. At 18 x 24 inches with an edition of 400 and a modest price, it is among the more accessible Fairey prints, appealing to newer collectors or those building a Lotus Woman or women-focused grouping. It displays well as a mid-size piece and connects thematically to his other flower-framed female portraits.
Historical Context
District 13 Lotus Woman fits within Fairey's recurring Lotus Woman imagery and his ongoing engagement with European art fairs and institutions. The source notes he gave a lecture at the fair the year before and then created this official poster to honor the District 13 edition, underscoring his role as a sought-after figure on the international circuit by 2019. Its association with Hotel Drouot and the event-only availability mark it as a commemorative collaboration rather than a core Obey Giant studio release. Beyond these supplied facts the record offers limited detail, so its historical placement rests on its function as an event poster within Fairey's larger body of women-centered portraiture.
FAQ
What was District 13 Lotus Woman made for?
Fairey created it as the official poster for the District 13 art event. Having lectured at the fair the previous year, he made this special creation to honor the edition, and it was offered for sale at Drouot during the event only.
What is the edition size?
It is a first edition of 400, published in connection with Hotel Drouot in 2019. The screen print measures 18 x 24 inches, placing it among Fairey's more accessible event releases.
Where could the print be purchased?
According to the release, this special creation was on sale at Drouot during the event only, giving it the character of an occasion-specific, commemorative poster rather than a general studio edition.
How does it relate to Fairey's other Lotus Woman works?
It uses the recurring Lotus Woman motif found across Fairey's portraits of women. The available description is brief and focuses on the event context, so its place is best understood through this shared imagery and its event provenance.
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.