Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Let There Be Dark (Red)”?
Artist Statement
3-Color Screen Print on 320gsm Natural Coventry Rag Vellum 18 x 24 Inches
Summary
Let There Be Dark (Red) is a 2019 Shepard Fairey work described as a 3-color screen print on 320gsm Natural Coventry Rag Vellum, measuring 18 x 24 inches. Published by 1xRUN, it was issued in an edition of 150 and is one of several colorways, with blue, Day-Glo, and red versions noted. The supplied source provides only production details, including paper, color count, dimensions, and edition size, with no descriptive text about subject or message. As a result, the focus here is on its medium, format, edition structure, and publisher rather than an interpreted theme.
Why It Matters
Let There Be Dark (Red) is a 1xRUN-published Shepard Fairey screen print from 2019, and its significance for collectors rests primarily on its production quality and edition structure rather than a documented theme, since the supplied source contains only material details. As a 3-color screen print on heavyweight 320gsm Natural Coventry Rag Vellum in an edition of 150, it represents the kind of well-made, mid-scale release that 1xRUN is known for producing in collaboration with established artists. The existence of multiple colorways, including blue, Day-Glo, and red, gives collectors who pursue color variants additional reason to engage with it. Because no descriptive or thematic text is provided, any interpretation here remains deliberately cautious: the work's appeal is grounded in its publisher pedigree, archival vellum stock, and a relatively contained edition size. It rewards collectors who value Fairey's 1xRUN collaborations and the variety offered by its colorways, and who are comfortable evaluating a piece on its production merits while awaiting fuller documentation of its subject and meaning.
Collector Perspective
Let There Be Dark (Red) appeals to collectors who follow Fairey's 1xRUN-published releases and who value strong production specifics, here a 3-color screen print on heavyweight Coventry Rag Vellum. The edition of 150 keeps it relatively contained, and the multiple colorways, blue, Day-Glo, and red, attract buyers who like to assemble color variants of a single image. At 18 x 24 inches it is an approachable display size. Because the supplied source offers no thematic description, collectors drawn to it are likely motivated by the publisher pedigree, the quality of the materials, and the variant set rather than a documented message, making it a production-driven acquisition for Fairey completists.
Historical Context
Let There Be Dark (Red) was released in 2019 through 1xRUN, a publisher with which Fairey has collaborated on numerous screen-print editions. While the supplied source limits documentation to production and edition details, the work fits within Fairey's broad practice of issuing color-variant screen prints through specialist publishers during this period. Its placement in his arc is best understood through that collaborative publishing context and the 2019 timeframe rather than a specific thematic statement, since no descriptive text accompanies the record. The companion piece Tomorrow's Another Night shares the same publisher, date, format, and edition structure, suggesting the two were released together as part of a connected set.
FAQ
What is Let There Be Dark (Red)?
It is a 2019 Shepard Fairey work described as a 3-color screen print on 320gsm Natural Coventry Rag Vellum, measuring 18 x 24 inches. It was published by 1xRUN in an edition of 150 and is one of several colorways, including blue, Day-Glo, and red versions.
How large is the edition?
Let There Be Dark (Red) was published by 1xRUN in 2019 in an edition of 150, according to the supplied source. The record notes multiple colorways: blue, Day-Glo, and red.
What are its dimensions and medium?
It is a 3-color screen print on 320gsm Natural Coventry Rag Vellum, measuring 18 x 24 inches. The supplied source provides production details but no descriptive text about the subject or message.
Is there a companion print?
Tomorrow's Another Night, also from 2019, shares the same publisher (1xRUN), date, 18 x 24-inch format, edition of 150, and colorway structure, indicating the two were released as part of a connected set.
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.