Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Noam Chomsky (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
The next print in the "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" print series is "Chomsky." Here's how co-curator, Pedro Alonzo explains the work:? Fairey has found a kindred spirit in philosopher Noam Chomsky, who transforms into a punk icon on this stylized magazine cover that contains subtle nods to the origins of Fairey's own graphic dissent campaigns. For the artist, Chomsky's linguistic theory brought to light how language can be manipulated in deceptive ways. Arguing that politicians and big business strive to "manufacture consent," Fairey appreciates how Chomsky reveals these tactics in an effort to defy them. In the words that appear below his image, Fairey credits Chomsky with his awakening ("lent me the necessary sense") to the system at work. This humorous lyrical caption, meant to be sung to the melody of a song by punk rock British group, The Clash, is shown beneath the elder theorist, shown with a steely gaze and in various shades of electric blue. Highlighting both the text and Chomsky with a bright orange arrow, Fairey playfully utilizes the abrupt angles to suggest the need to deviate from the norm in order to change the status quo. Chomsky. Serigraph on Coventry Rag, 100% Cotton Custom Archival Paper with hand-deckled edges. 30 x 41 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 89. Comes with a certificate of authenticity. $900.
Summary
Noam Chomsky (Large Format) is a 2019 Shepard Fairey screen print, published by Obey Giant in a signed, numbered first edition of 89, measuring 30 x 41 inches on Coventry Rag archival cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Part of the "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" series, it presents philosopher Noam Chomsky as a punk icon on a stylized magazine-cover composition. Chomsky appears with a steely gaze in shades of electric blue, highlighted by a bright orange arrow. A lyrical caption set to a song melody by punk band The Clash credits Chomsky with Fairey's political awakening, framing him as a kindred spirit in graphic dissent.
Why It Matters
Noam Chomsky honors one of Fairey's intellectual touchstones, casting the philosopher as a punk icon on a stylized magazine cover that nods to the origins of Fairey's own graphic dissent campaigns. Co-curator Pedro Alonzo explains that Chomsky's linguistic theory revealed to Fairey how language can be manipulated, and that Chomsky's argument about how politicians and big business "manufacture consent" resonates with the artist's mission to expose and defy such tactics. The caption beneath the portrait, meant to be sung to a melody by British punk band The Clash, credits Chomsky with Fairey's awakening to the system at work, fusing intellectual debt with punk attitude. Formally, the steely gaze, electric-blue palette, and bright orange arrow with abrupt angles dramatize the idea of deviating from the norm to change the status quo. As part of the thirtieth-anniversary "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" series, the print connects Fairey's portraiture of thinkers and dissidents to his lifelong themes of propaganda, language, and resistance. The signed, numbered large-format edition of 89, with a certificate of authenticity, gives collectors a monumental tribute to a figure central to Fairey's worldview.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors drawn to Fairey's portraits of thinkers and dissidents and to the punk sensibility that runs through his work. The magazine-cover framing, electric-blue tones, and bold orange arrow make it a striking 30 x 41 inch wall piece that reads clearly and rewards close reading of its lyrical caption. As part of the "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" series, it groups naturally with the other large-format edition-of-89 prints from 2019. The small first edition of 89, signed and numbered with a certificate of authenticity, gives it appeal for buyers who prioritize scarcity and intellectual subject matter, and it fits collections built around portraiture, counterculture, and political dissent.
Historical Context
Noam Chomsky belongs to the 2019 "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent" series marking Obey Giant's thirtieth anniversary, a body of large-format prints revisiting the people and ideas behind Fairey's career. By framing Chomsky as a punk icon and tying the caption to a Clash melody, the work links Fairey's intellectual lineage to the punk roots of his graphic dissent. The print's nods to the origins of Fairey's own campaigns position it as a reflective, career-spanning tribute rather than a topical release. Its electric-blue treatment and arrow-driven composition extend Fairey's propaganda-inflected visual language to a portrait of the theorist who shaped his understanding of how language and power operate.
FAQ
Who is depicted in this print?
It depicts philosopher Noam Chomsky, presented as a punk icon on a stylized magazine cover. Fairey honors Chomsky as a kindred spirit whose linguistic theory shaped his understanding of how language can be manipulated and how consent is manufactured.
What is the edition size and format?
It is a numbered first edition of 89, signed by Shepard Fairey with a certificate of authenticity. The large-format serigraph measures 30 x 41 inches on Coventry Rag 100% cotton archival paper with hand-deckled edges, published by Obey Giant in 2019.
What is the caption beneath Chomsky's image?
It is a humorous lyrical caption meant to be sung to a melody by British punk band The Clash. In it Fairey credits Chomsky with his awakening to the system, saying Chomsky "lent me the necessary sense."
What series is this print part of?
It is part of "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent," Fairey's print series marking Obey Giant's thirtieth anniversary. The series revisits the figures and ideas that shaped his decades of graphic dissent.
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.