Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Bob Marley 40th Letterpress - Lively Up Yourself”?
Artist Statement
Bob Marley February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981 This letterpress set in collaboration with photographer Dennis Morris commemorates the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley's passing. The series represents the amazing breadth of Marley's character… the philosopher, the confrontational warrior for justice, and the evangelist for love and connection. Bob Marley's music and words continue to resonate with a worldwide audience while converting young idealists year over year. I discovered Bob Marley when I bought his Rastaman Vibrations shortly after I started skateboarding in 1984, purely because the only good skateboard ramp where I lived was called "The Rasta Ramp." I had mostly been listening to punk rock, but I was excited to discover reggae, which even more boldly embodied many of the same elements of social protest as punk but in a way that was much more palatable to my parents. I think my parents bought me Bob Marley and the Wailers records for every Christmas or birthday until I had accumulated their entire catalog. I'm always inspired by how steadfast and positive Bob was. –Shepard Photographer Dennis Morris: "Robert Nesta Marley, the thinker, the mystic, the lover, writer of songs of Freedom; an inspiration to millions. Forty years on, the legend lives on." –Dennis Morris PRINT DETAILS: Bob Marley 40th (Set of 3: Confrontation, Soul Rebel, Lively Up Yourself). A limited number of matching numbered sets will be available for $300. Soul Rebel, Confrontation, and Lively Up Yourself sold separately for $100. 16 x 19.5 inches. Letterpress on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Original photo by Dennis Morris. Signed by Dennis Morris and Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 450. $100. Obey and Dennis Morris publishing chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Lively Up Yourself is a 2021 letterpress portrait of Bob Marley, made by Shepard Fairey in collaboration with photographer Dennis Morris from Morris's original photo. Released as part of a set of three (with Confrontation and Soul Rebel) marking the 40th anniversary of Marley's passing, it presents the musician through Fairey's bold graphic treatment over a documentary photographic base. Printed letterpress on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, it measures 16 x 19.5 inches and is a numbered edition of 450 signed by both Fairey and Morris, with an Obey and Dennis Morris publishing chop in the lower left corner. Issued at $100.
Why It Matters
This print sits at the intersection of two of Fairey's most enduring interests: music and social protest. Fairey has described discovering reggae through Marley as a teenager and recognizing in it the same protest energy he found in punk, which makes the Marley subject deeply personal rather than merely commercial. The collaboration with Dennis Morris, who photographed Marley directly, gives the image documentary authority that pure illustration would lack, and the dual signature underscores that authenticity. As one panel of a three-part anniversary tribute, Lively Up Yourself rewards collectors who pursue complete narrative sets, where the trio together aims to capture Marley's breadth as philosopher, warrior for justice, and evangelist for love. The letterpress medium on hand-deckled cotton paper signals a craft-forward, tactile object distinct from Fairey's screenprints, and the named publishing chop reinforces provenance. For a collector, it offers an accessible entry into Fairey's music portraiture with a clear collaborative pedigree and a recognizable global cultural icon at its center.
Collector Perspective
This appeals to music-focused collectors, reggae and Marley enthusiasts, and Fairey followers who value collaboration pieces and letterpress craft. The cream cotton paper, hand-deckled edges, and dual signatures from Fairey and Morris make it attractive both as a standalone portrait and as one third of a matched, numbered set, which is the strongest collecting angle here. Display appeal is high in music-themed rooms and alongside other Fairey portraits. At an accessible original price point and an edition of 450, it fits collections being built around Fairey's musician portraits or around the Bob Marley 40th tribute specifically. Buyers chasing the full Confrontation, Soul Rebel, and Lively Up Yourself trio will weigh matching edition numbers most heavily.
Historical Context
Lively Up Yourself belongs to Fairey's mature output of music portraiture and photographer collaborations during the early 2020s, when he increasingly partnered with original photographers like Dennis Morris to ground his iconography in documentary source images. It extends a long arc in his career of honoring musicians whose work carried social-protest meaning, a lineage Fairey traces back to his own teenage move from punk to reggae. Issued in 2021 to mark the fortieth anniversary of Marley's 1981 death, the print reflects how Fairey used anniversary moments to revisit culturally resonant figures. Its letterpress execution also fits a period in which Obey Giant released craft-oriented letterpress editions alongside its screenprints, broadening the range of media available to collectors.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Lively Up Yourself?
It is a numbered edition of 450. The print was issued by Obey Giant in 2021 at an original price of $100. A limited number of matching numbered sets pairing it with Confrontation and Soul Rebel were also offered at $300, while each print was available separately.
Who collaborated with Shepard Fairey on this print?
Photographer Dennis Morris collaborated on the piece, providing the original photograph of Bob Marley. The print is signed by both Shepard Fairey and Dennis Morris, and carries an Obey and Dennis Morris publishing chop in the lower left corner.
What medium and paper is it printed on?
It is a letterpress print on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 16 x 19.5 inches. The letterpress process and deckled cotton stock give it a tactile, craft-forward quality distinct from Fairey's screenprints.
Why was this print made?
The set commemorates the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley's passing in 1981. Fairey created it to honor Marley's breadth as a philosopher, a warrior for justice, and an evangelist for love, drawing on his own discovery of reggae as a teenager.
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.