Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Alternative Facts (Timed Edition)”?
Artist Statement
Alternative Facts. 24 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $90. Proceeds go to ACLU.
Summary
Alternative Facts (Timed Edition) is a 2022 Shepard Fairey screen print, 24 x 24 inches, on thick cream Speckletone paper, signed by the artist and priced at $90, with proceeds going to the ACLU. As a timed edition, the run was open for a set window rather than capped at a fixed number, and no edition size is given in the source. The title references the politically charged phrase "alternative facts," placing the work within Fairey's critique of misinformation and political rhetoric. It comes with a digital Verisart Certificate of Authenticity.
Why It Matters
Alternative Facts takes aim at one of the defining phrases of recent American political discourse, using its title to confront the normalization of misinformation and the manipulation of truth. The work sits squarely within Fairey's long tradition of media and propaganda critique, where he turns the visual language of authority against the institutions that wield it. Released as a timed edition with proceeds directed to the ACLU, it ties the artwork to civil-liberties advocacy and gives it a concrete activist outcome beyond the image. The timed-edition format is notable: rather than a fixed cap, the print was available for a set period, so its final quantity is undetermined in the source, which affects how its scarcity should be read. Its larger 24 x 24 square format distinguishes it from his standard 18 x 24 prints, giving it a bolder presence, and at $90 it remains accessible. The inclusion of a Verisart digital Certificate of Authenticity reflects the studio's authentication practices for the period. For collectors, the combination of a sharply topical message, ACLU support, and a distinctive square format makes it a pointed political statement within his catalog of media and democracy critiques.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors who value Fairey's political and media-critique work and editions tied to causes, here the ACLU. Its pointed "alternative facts" message makes it a conversation piece, and the larger 24 x 24 square format gives it a strong, balanced presence on a wall. At $90 it is accessible, though as a timed edition its final quantity is open, so collectors should weigh scarcity differently than for a numbered run. The Verisart certificate adds authentication appeal. It fits well in a grouping of his political and democracy-themed prints.
Historical Context
Published by Obey Giant in July 2022 as a timed edition with proceeds to the ACLU, Alternative Facts engages the misinformation and "alternative facts" rhetoric that marked the period's political discourse. It continues Fairey's career-long critique of propaganda and media manipulation, channeled into a topical, cause-linked release. The timed-edition format reflects a studio strategy of the era, and the work sits among his 2020-2023 political prints, distinguished by its square format and civil-liberties tie-in.
FAQ
What does the title reference?
"Alternative Facts" references the politically charged phrase used in recent American political discourse, placing the print within Fairey's critique of misinformation and the manipulation of truth and media rhetoric.
What is a timed edition?
A timed edition is available for a set window of time rather than capped at a fixed number. The source does not give a specific edition size for this print, so its final quantity is determined by how many sold during the available period.
What are the size and medium?
Alternative Facts is a 24 x 24 inch screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper, signed by Shepard Fairey. It was published by Obey Giant in 2022 and comes with a digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart, priced at $90.
Does this print support a cause?
Yes. The source states that proceeds from the print go to the ACLU, tying the edition to civil-liberties advocacy alongside its message about misinformation.
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.