Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “A Champion Of Justice (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) (18 x 24 Inch)”?
Artist Statement
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a hero of mine because she was a low-key radical. She encountered gender discrimination in her personal life which she overcame with perseverance and professional excellence, allowing her to infiltrate the male-dominated system and change that system from within to benefit women's rights and equality under the law. Ginsburg's accomplishments are inspiring, including founding the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union before being appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993. Ginsburg was a champion of justice philosophically, but she worked tirelessly to manifest her ideas about justice in real-world policies. RBG was legendary for her work ethic, getting by on only a few hours of sleep and prolifically writing important opinions, often dissenting powerfully. Justice Ginsburg always stood up for equality with a degree of dignity and civility that was unassailable. I admire her ability to work with people she disagreed with and attempt to win them over rather than react with anger. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, thank you for being a role model in both style and substance. I'm donating proceeds from the sale of these prints to the League of Women Voters because of their continuous work to inform the public to be active participants in democracy. -Shepard A CHAMPION OF JUSTICE (Ruth Bader Ginsburg). 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Original Photo by Ruven Afanador. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. $80. Proceeds go to League of Women Voters. A CHAMPION OF JUSTICE (Ruth Bader Ginsburg). 24 x 36 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Original Photo by Ruven Afanador. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. $120. Proceeds go to League of Women Voters.
Summary
A Champion Of Justice is a 2021 screen print by Shepard Fairey honoring Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, based on a photograph by Ruven Afanador. Fairey describes her as a low-key radical who overcame gender discrimination, founded the ACLU Women's Rights Project, and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993. This edition measures 18 x 24 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper and is part of a numbered edition of 500, signed by Shepard Fairey. It released March 2, 2021 at $80; a larger 24 x 36 inch version also exists. Proceeds benefit the League of Women Voters.
Why It Matters
This print is Fairey's tribute to one of the most consequential legal figures in modern American history, framed through his admiration for Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a champion of justice in both style and substance. The source text emphasizes her work overcoming gender discrimination, founding the ACLU Women's Rights Project, and advancing equality under the law, positioning the portrait within Fairey's recurring celebration of leaders who changed systems from within. Based on a Ruven Afanador photograph, it exemplifies his practice of transforming source portraiture into bold, iconic graphics. Its release shortly after Ginsburg's death gave it strong commemorative resonance, making it a memorial as much as a portrait. By directing proceeds to the League of Women Voters, Fairey ties Ginsburg's legacy to ongoing civic participation, reinforcing themes of women's leadership and democratic engagement. Offered in two sizes, the work let collectors choose scale while keeping the numbered edition of 500 contained. For Gauntlet Gallery audiences, it stands among Fairey's most recognizable and meaningful portraits of contemporary justice figures, combining a beloved public icon, a clear human-rights message, and a charitable purpose into a single, highly collectible image.
Collector Perspective
This is among Fairey's most broadly appealing portraits, drawing collectors of his justice and women's-leadership work as well as admirers of Ruth Bader Ginsburg specifically. Its commemorative weight and recognizable subject give it crossover appeal beyond dedicated Fairey collectors. Offered in 18 x 24 and 24 x 36 inch sizes, it lets buyers choose between an intimate framed piece and a statement-scale display. The strong central portrait reads well on a wall and anchors a grouping of justice or women-focused prints. With a numbered edition of 500 and proceeds to the League of Women Voters, it combines collectibility with a civic message that resonates with values-driven buyers. It fits naturally in a portrait collection or a section devoted to Fairey's tributes to influential leaders.
Historical Context
Released in March 2021 by Obey Giant, A Champion Of Justice belongs to Fairey's extensive portraiture of figures he admires, and arrived as a commemorative tribute following Ginsburg's death. It continues his long practice of basing iconic graphics on existing photographs, here crediting Ruven Afanador. The work sits within the dense run of justice and democracy prints he produced around the 2020 election cycle, and its donation to the League of Women Voters aligns it with his recurring support for civic participation. By celebrating Ginsburg as a low-key radical who changed the system from within, the print reflects Fairey's interest in honoring institutional change-makers alongside street-level activists, reinforcing women's leadership and legal equality as enduring threads in his catalog.
FAQ
Who does this print honor?
It honors Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whom Fairey describes as a low-key radical who overcame gender discrimination, founded the Women's Rights Project at the ACLU, and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993, working tirelessly for equality under the law.
What sizes are available?
According to the source, the image was offered in an 18 x 24 inch version at $80 and a 24 x 36 inch version at $120. This record covers the 18 x 24 inch edition, numbered 500 and signed by Shepard Fairey.
Whose photograph is the print based on?
The source credits the original photo to Ruven Afanador, which Fairey adapted into his signature graphic portrait style.
Does it support a cause?
Yes. The source states Fairey is donating proceeds from the sale of these prints to the League of Women Voters for their work informing the public to be active participants in democracy.
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.