Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Fist (Large Format)”?
Artist Statement
The raised fist has served as an iconic symbol of resistance for many generations. Masculine and monochrome, the clenched gesture radiates energy against a double outlined golden star. Featuring Fairey's now well-known call-to-action, the accompanying "OBEY" below is a visual command that enhances the otherwise silent but powerful protest.? With its origins in his earliest street art projects, this print replaces the typical Andre the Giant figurine with an oversized fist that stands in its place. Legibility and accessibility have always been a hallmark of Fairey's artwork, and are utilized to great effect here, illustrating a universal, familiar symbol of rebellion, but rendered in Fairey's recognizable style.?- Description written by co-curator Pedro Alonzo.? OBEY Fist. 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
Fist (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. It centers a masculine, monochrome clenched fist radiating energy against a double-outlined golden star, with the word "OBEY" beneath it functioning as a visual command. Drawing on Fairey's earliest street-art projects, the composition replaces the familiar Andre the Giant figure with an oversized fist. Prized for its legibility, the print renders the universal raised-fist symbol of resistance in Fairey's recognizable style.
Why It Matters
Fist distills Fairey's lifelong themes into a single, instantly legible emblem: the raised fist, a symbol of resistance across generations, paired with his "OBEY" command and the double-outlined golden star. Co-curator Pedro Alonzo notes that the work has its origins in Fairey's earliest street-art projects, where this print substitutes an oversized fist for the typical Andre the Giant figure that originally occupied that space. That substitution is conceptually significant, linking the open-ended provocation of the early Obey campaign to an explicit gesture of rebellion. Legibility and accessibility have always been hallmarks of Fairey's art, and here they are used to great effect: the universal, familiar symbol reads clearly while remaining unmistakably his in style. The accompanying "OBEY" sharpens the piece, turning a silent but powerful protest into a visual call to action. As part of the 2019 large-format edition-of-89 group tied to the thirtieth-anniversary period, Fist offers collectors a monumental, iconographically pure statement that bridges Fairey's street roots and his mature studio practice, making it one of the more emblematic Obey works in this release wave.
Collector Perspective
Fist appeals to collectors who want a pure, iconic Obey image with strong graphic punch. The monochrome fist against a golden star is bold and immediately readable, making the 30 x 41 inch sheet a commanding centerpiece that works in both contemporary and street-art-focused settings. Its lineage to Fairey's earliest street projects gives it conceptual depth for buyers who value the origins of the Obey campaign. As part of the 2019 large-format edition-of-89 group, it pairs naturally with the Hammer print and the currency works for a cohesive display. The small first edition of 89, signed and numbered with a certificate of authenticity, supports its appeal to collectors who weight scarcity and iconographic significance.
Historical Context
Fist reaches back to Fairey's earliest street-art projects, where the Andre the Giant figure anchored the original sticker campaign; here that figure is replaced by an oversized fist, recasting the icon as an explicit symbol of resistance. The 2019 large-format edition belongs to the thirtieth-anniversary period surrounding "Facing the Giant: Three Decades of Dissent," when Fairey revisited and monumentalized core elements of his visual language. The golden star and the "OBEY" command place it squarely within his established iconography, while the emphasis on legibility and accessibility reflects the principles that have guided his work from the street to the studio. It stands as a distilled expression of the Obey project's evolution toward overt political symbolism.
FAQ
What does the Fist print depict?
It shows a masculine, monochrome clenched fist radiating energy against a double-outlined golden star, with the word "OBEY" beneath it. The raised fist is presented as a universal symbol of resistance rendered in Fairey's recognizable style.
How does it connect to Fairey's early work?
Per the release, the print has its origins in Fairey's earliest street-art projects and replaces the typical Andre the Giant figure with an oversized fist standing in its place, linking the early Obey campaign to an explicit gesture of rebellion.
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.
Why is the OBEY text included?
The accompanying "OBEY" acts as a visual command that enhances an otherwise silent but powerful protest, turning the universal fist symbol into a direct call to action consistent with Fairey's iconography.
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.