Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Bob Marley 40th Letterpress - Soul Rebel”?
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
Soul Rebel is a 2021 letterpress portrait of Bob Marley created by Shepard Fairey in collaboration with photographer Dennis Morris, based on Morris's original photograph. It is one of three panels (with Confrontation and Lively Up Yourself) issued by Obey Giant to mark the 40th anniversary of Marley's passing. Printed letterpress on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, the print measures roughly 16.5 x 19 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. It was released at $100.
Why It Matters
Soul Rebel anchors the emotional core of Fairey's Marley 40th tribute, with the set framed around Marley's many sides, the philosopher, the confrontational warrior for justice, and the evangelist for love. The collaboration with Dennis Morris, a photographer who documented Marley firsthand, lends the portrait documentary credibility and a dual signature that collectors prize. Fairey's personal account of finding reggae through Marley as a young skateboarder gives the piece sincerity rather than opportunism, situating it within his lifelong braiding of music and protest. As one third of a matched, numbered trilogy, Soul Rebel is especially meaningful to collectors assembling complete sets, where consistent edition numbers carry weight. The letterpress execution on hand-deckled cotton paper makes it a tactile, craft-oriented object that contrasts with Fairey's more common screenprints, and the named publishing chop reinforces its provenance. Together these qualities make it a focused, personal entry in Fairey's catalog of musician portraits honoring figures whose art carried a message of justice and connection.
Collector Perspective
This draws music collectors, reggae and Marley devotees, and Fairey enthusiasts who favor collaborative, craft-forward editions. The hand-deckled cream cotton paper and the joint Fairey and Morris signatures elevate it as both a standalone portrait and a component of a matched three-print set, which is the most compelling collecting hook. It displays well in music-themed spaces and among other Fairey portraits. With an accessible original price and an edition of 450, it suits collections organized around Fairey's musician portraiture or the Marley 40th tribute itself. Collectors aiming to complete the full Confrontation, Soul Rebel, and Lively Up Yourself trio will prioritize matching edition numbers across the three.
Historical Context
Soul Rebel fits within Fairey's early-2020s wave of music portraits made in partnership with original photographers, a working method that grounded his graphic style in documentary imagery. It continues his long-running practice of celebrating musicians whose work fused art with social protest, a thread he ties to his own teenage transition from punk to reggae. Released in 2021 for the fortieth anniversary of Marley's 1981 death, the print exemplifies how Fairey used cultural anniversaries to revisit globally significant figures. Its letterpress format also reflects a period when Obey Giant complemented its screenprint releases with craft-oriented letterpress editions on specialty paper, expanding the media and price points available to collectors.
FAQ
How large is the edition of Soul Rebel?
It is a numbered edition of 450, published by Obey Giant in 2021 at an original price of $100. It was sold separately and also offered as part of a limited number of matching numbered three-print sets at $300 alongside Confrontation and Lively Up Yourself.
Who took the original photograph?
The original photograph of Bob Marley was taken by Dennis Morris, who collaborated with Shepard Fairey on the series. The print is signed by both Fairey and Morris and bears an Obey and Dennis Morris publishing chop in the lower left corner.
What is the print made of?
Soul Rebel is a letterpress print on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. Its source measurements are about 16.5 by 19 inches, and the letterpress process gives it a tactile, hand-crafted character compared with Fairey's screenprints.
What does the set commemorate?
The three-print set marks the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley's passing in 1981. Fairey designed it to reflect the breadth of Marley's character as philosopher, warrior for justice, and evangelist for love and connection.
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.