Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Bob Marley 40th Letterpress - Confrontation”?
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
Confrontation is a 2021 letterpress portrait of Bob Marley by Shepard Fairey, made in collaboration with photographer Dennis Morris and based on Morris's original photograph. It is one of three panels (with Soul Rebel and Lively Up Yourself) released by Obey Giant for the 40th anniversary of Marley's passing. 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. It was issued at $100.
Why It Matters
Confrontation captures the most pointed facet of the Marley tribute, the set explicitly describes Marley as a confrontational warrior for justice, and this panel embodies that combative, principled energy. The collaboration with Dennis Morris, who photographed Marley directly, gives the portrait documentary weight and a dual signature that collectors value highly. Fairey's own narrative of discovering reggae as a young skateboarder and hearing in it the same protest spirit he loved in punk makes the subject personal and consistent with his decades of message-driven work. As one third of a matched, numbered trilogy, Confrontation is most powerful for collectors assembling the complete set, where aligned edition numbers matter. The letterpress execution on hand-deckled cotton paper renders it a tactile, craft-forward object that sets it apart from Fairey's screenprints, while the named publishing chop strengthens its provenance. The result is a focused musician portrait that links a global cultural icon to Fairey's enduring themes of justice, resistance, and human connection.
Collector Perspective
This piece attracts music collectors, Marley and reggae fans, and Fairey followers drawn to collaborative letterpress editions. The hand-deckled cream cotton stock and the joint Fairey and Morris signatures make it desirable both alone and as part of the matched three-print set, which is the strongest collecting rationale. It displays naturally in music-themed interiors and beside other Fairey portraits. With an accessible original price and an edition of 450, it fits collections built around Fairey's musician portraiture or the Marley 40th tribute. Buyers seeking the full Confrontation, Soul Rebel, and Lively Up Yourself trio will focus on securing matching edition numbers across all three panels.
Historical Context
Confrontation belongs to Fairey's early-2020s body of music portraits produced with original photographers, a method that anchored his graphic vocabulary in documentary photography. It continues his long-standing celebration of musicians whose art carried social-protest meaning, a lineage he connects to his teenage shift from punk to reggae. Issued in 2021 for the fortieth anniversary of Marley's 1981 death, the print shows how Fairey used cultural anniversaries to return to globally resonant figures. Its letterpress format reflects a period when Obey Giant paired craft-oriented letterpress editions with its screenprint releases, widening the media and entry points available to collectors of his work.
FAQ
What is the edition size of Confrontation?
It is a numbered edition of 450, published by Obey Giant in 2021 at an original price of $100. It was offered separately and also as part of a limited number of matching numbered three-print sets at $300 alongside Soul Rebel and Lively Up Yourself.
Is the print signed?
Yes. It is signed by both Shepard Fairey and photographer Dennis Morris, whose original photograph of Bob Marley forms the basis of the image. It also carries an Obey and Dennis Morris publishing chop in the lower left corner.
What are the dimensions and medium?
Confrontation measures 16 x 19.5 inches and is a letterpress print on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges. The letterpress technique gives it a tactile, craft-forward feel that distinguishes it from Fairey's screenprint editions.
What does the title and set represent?
The three-print set marks the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley's passing in 1981 and reflects Marley's many sides. Confrontation specifically evokes the description of Marley as a confrontational warrior for justice, one part of the set's portrait of his full character.
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.