Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Skyline (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
SKYLINE Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 140
Summary
Skyline is a 2000 Shepard Fairey screen print, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 140, measuring 18 x 24 inches. Executed in Fairey's bold, high-contrast graphic style, it depicts a skyline subject and belongs to his early Obey Giant studio output. As a run of 140 impressions, it sits among the smaller editions of the year. The work reflects the urban, architectural imagery that recurs in Fairey's practice, rendered through his recognizable propaganda-influenced visual language.
Why It Matters
Skyline dates to 2000, within Shepard Fairey's early Obey Giant studio period, when his street-rooted practice was consolidating into editioned screen prints. Its urban, architectural subject fits a recurring interest in cityscapes and built environments that surfaces across Fairey's catalog, giving the print a thematic anchor beyond pure graphic appeal. Published in a first edition of 140, it is a comparatively small run, which adds interest for collectors tracking the chronology of his output. For a knowledge-graph audience, its value is largely documentary and relational: it occupies a specific node among the dense cluster of 2000 Obey Giant releases, sitting alongside companion prints of the same year, format, and edition scale. The print rewards collectors who value period, provenance, and an artist's development over headline imagery, capturing the design-forward character of Fairey's early-2000s output. As an example of his urban subject matter from this window, Skyline helps map how Fairey applied his propaganda-influenced visual language to architectural and cityscape themes during the formative phase that preceded his mainstream political breakthrough.
Collector Perspective
Skyline appeals to early Obey Giant completists and collectors drawn to Fairey's urban and architectural imagery. The edition of 140 is small, and the 18 x 24-inch format frames easily, grouping naturally with companion 2000 prints of the same scale. Its bold, high-contrast graphic reads strongly on a wall. The print suits a collector assembling a chronological survey of Fairey's early studio practice or a thematic set around his cityscape subjects, where period and edition scale carry more weight than celebrity or campaign imagery. It pairs well with other turn-of-the-millennium releases to build a coherent early-era display.
Historical Context
Skyline belongs to Shepard Fairey's early Obey Giant studio period around 2000, when his street-based practice was maturing into editioned screen prints. Its urban, architectural subject reflects an interest in cityscapes and the built environment that recurs across his catalog. This was several years before his 2008 Obama breakthrough, during a phase focused on graphic technique and the application of his propaganda-influenced style to varied subjects. The print sits among the cluster of 2000 Obey Giant releases, documenting the design-forward, experimental character of Fairey's output as he built the visual identity that underpins his later, more overtly political work.
FAQ
What does Skyline depict?
As the title indicates, the print depicts a skyline/urban subject in Fairey's bold, high-contrast graphic style. It reflects the cityscape and architectural imagery that recurs across his work.
When was it made and how large is the edition?
Skyline is dated 2000, published by Obey Giant, in a first edition of 140 impressions according to the source. That is a comparatively small run for the period.
What are the dimensions and medium?
It is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches, per the source description, a frame-friendly format common across Fairey's editioned prints of the era.
Where does it fit in Fairey's career?
It comes from the 2000 Obey Giant releases, an early studio period when Fairey was transitioning from street work to collectible editions, years before his 2008 Obama image.
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.