Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Barb Wire Dove Letterpress (Red)”?
Artist Statement
I've created several iterations of the peace dove over the years. As an icon, the dove is internationally recognized as a symbol of peace, making it ideal as a communication tool. This version of the peace dove includes a flower growing from the barb wire, symbolizing positive growth from an oppressive situation. –Shepard Barb Wire Dove (Two Colorways: Red & Blue). A limited amount of matching numbered sets will be available for $130. Red and blue sold separately for $65. 10 x 13 inches. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 250. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. Obey publishing chop in lower left corner.
Summary
Barb Wire Dove Letterpress (Red) is a 2022 Shepard Fairey letterpress print measuring 10 x 13 inches, issued in a signed, numbered edition of 250 by Obey Giant. The image depicts Fairey's peace dove, an internationally recognized symbol of peace, with a flower growing from barbed wire to symbolize positive growth out of an oppressive situation. Released in two colorways, red and blue, it carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner and comes with a digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. The source notes matching numbered sets of both colorways were also offered. The work pairs Fairey's dove iconography with floral and barbed-wire symbolism.
Why It Matters
Barb Wire Dove distills two of Fairey's most enduring symbolic devices, the peace dove and the flower, into a compact letterpress format. In his own words from the source, Fairey has created several iterations of the peace dove over the years, valuing it as an internationally recognized communication tool, and here he adds a flower growing from barbed wire to signal positive growth from an oppressive situation. That layering of menace and hope makes the image more pointed than a simple peace emblem. The letterpress medium and small 10 x 13 inch scale set it apart from his larger screen prints, giving it a tactile, craft-oriented quality prized by collectors who appreciate process. With a signed, numbered edition of 250 and the Obey publishing chop, plus a Verisart digital Certificate of Authenticity, it is well documented for the secondary market. The two-colorway structure, with red and blue offered separately and as matching numbered sets, creates collecting variety and the appeal of completing a pair. Its significance is solid but contained: it is a refined iteration of established iconography rather than a new conceptual departure, but it carries Fairey's consistent peace message in a format collectors find distinctive.
Collector Perspective
This print suits collectors who gravitate to Fairey's peace iconography and those who appreciate the letterpress medium and its tactile, debossed character. At 10 x 13 inches it is an accessible, easy-to-frame size that pairs naturally with its blue companion, and the source notes matching numbered sets were available, which rewards collectors who like to acquire complete colorway pairs. The Obey publishing chop and Verisart digital Certificate of Authenticity provide documentation buyers value. With a numbered edition of 250 it is more contained than Fairey's larger open or 500-count runs, giving it modest scarcity appeal. It fits well in a peace-and-nature themed grouping or alongside other dove and floral works in a collection.
Historical Context
Barb Wire Dove continues a peace-dove motif that, per the source, Fairey has revisited across many iterations during his career. The 2022 letterpress release reflects his mature studio's habit of reworking core icons in new media and colorways, here adding floral symbolism to deepen the dove's familiar peace message. Issued through Obey Giant with the publishing chop and Verisart authentication, it sits within his contemporary output of well-documented, cause-resonant editions. The flower-from-barbed-wire concept aligns with Fairey's recurring theme of resilience and growth out of oppression that threads through his political and nature imagery. Within his arc, this print is a refined, medium-specific restatement of established peace iconography rather than a foundational image, demonstrating how he keeps signature symbols current through fresh formats and editions.
FAQ
What does the imagery in Barb Wire Dove represent?
Per Fairey's statement in the source, the dove is an internationally recognized symbol of peace. This version adds a flower growing from barbed wire, which he says symbolizes positive growth from an oppressive situation, combining a peace emblem with a message of resilience.
What is the edition size and medium?
The source lists this as a letterpress print in a numbered edition of 250, measuring 10 x 13 inches and signed by Shepard Fairey. It carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner and was published by Obey Giant in 2022.
Were there multiple colorways?
Yes. The source states Barb Wire Dove was released in two colorways, red and blue, sold separately for $65 each. A limited number of matching numbered sets of both colorways were also offered for $130.
Does this print come with authentication?
According to the source, each print comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart and includes the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner, providing documentation for the signed, numbered edition.
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.