Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Icarus Democracy (First Edition)”?
Artist Statement
Icarus Democracy. 24 x 36 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 500. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $95.
Summary
Icarus Democracy is a 2022 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 24 x 36 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper. The large-format print is signed by Fairey and issued in a numbered edition of 500, with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. The title invokes the myth of Icarus as a frame for democracy, suggesting themes of overreach and fragility, though the source provides only production details rather than an artist statement. Released at $95, it sits among Fairey's politically themed works from the period.
Why It Matters
Icarus Democracy pairs one of Western culture's most enduring cautionary myths with Fairey's recurring concern for the health of democracy. The source record supplies production facts rather than an artist statement, so interpretation should stay measured, but the title itself is meaningful: invoking Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, alongside 'democracy' suggests a warning about hubris, overreach, and fragility in democratic systems. That conceptual framing places the print within Fairey's broader political output of the early 2020s, when democracy, voting, and civic responsibility were frequent subjects. At 24 x 36 inches it is a large-format statement piece, sizeable enough to command a wall and priced at $95 on release. For collectors, its appeal rests on the combination of scale, a literate mythological title, and its connection to Fairey's well-known engagement with American political themes. It belongs to a group of democracy- and politics-focused prints from the period, several of which appear among its related works. Issued as a signed, numbered edition of 500 with Verisart authentication, it reflects his mature Obey Giant production model and stands as a substantial political entry in his 2022 catalog.
Collector Perspective
Icarus Democracy suits collectors drawn to Fairey's political and democracy-themed work, especially those who want a large-format statement piece. At 24 x 36 inches it functions as a focal point on a wall and pairs well with other political prints in a grouping. The mythological title gives it a literate, conversation-starting quality that appeals to buyers who value conceptual depth. At an original $95 in a signed, numbered edition of 500 with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity, it sits in the mid-to-upper range of his catalog. Collectors building a political or democracy-themed Fairey set will find it a strong anchor alongside related works on defending democracy and political voice. Because the source offers limited interpretive detail, buyers should rely on the image itself for specific reading.
Historical Context
Icarus Democracy belongs to Fairey's early-2020s political output, a period in which the defense of democracy and civic engagement were recurring subjects across his prints. The work's large 24 x 36 format and mythological title situate it among his more ambitious political statement pieces, even as the source record offers only production details. It reflects his mature studio standard, signed, numbered Speckletone-paper screen prints with Verisart certificates, and connects to a cluster of democracy- and politics-themed works from the same window. The Icarus framing extends Fairey's long habit of drawing on familiar cultural symbols to comment on contemporary political conditions, continuing the activist throughline of his career in gallery-edition form rather than street media.
FAQ
What does the title Icarus Democracy suggest?
The title pairs the Greek myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, with democracy, suggesting themes of overreach and fragility. The source record provides production details rather than a formal artist statement, so the reading rests largely on the title and image.
What are the dimensions and medium?
Icarus Democracy is a large-format screen print measuring 24 x 36 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper. It was published by Obey Giant in 2022 as a substantial wall-scale political work in Fairey's catalog.
How large is the edition and is it signed?
The print is a numbered first edition of 500, signed by Shepard Fairey. Each comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart, the standard documentation for his Obey Giant screen prints.
What was the original price?
Icarus Democracy was released in 2022 at an original price of $95, placing it in the mid-to-upper range of Fairey's signed, numbered screen prints from that period, consistent with its large 24 x 36 format.
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.