What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Che”?

Artist Statement

Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 100

Summary

Che is a 1997 screen print published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 100, measuring 18 x 24 inches. The work appropriates the iconic revolutionary portrait of Che Guevara and reworks it through Fairey's early propaganda-poster vocabulary of bold red, black, and cream tones. The image fuses a recognizable political portrait with the graphic conventions of agitprop, treating a familiar pop-political symbol as raw material for commentary on imagery and power. As an early hand-pulled screen print in a small edition, it sits among Fairey's foundational late-1990s output exploring how revolutionary and propaganda imagery circulates as pop iconography.

Why It Matters

Che belongs to Fairey's pivotal late-1990s period, when he was translating the OBEY sticker phenomenon into collectible fine-art prints and testing how loaded political imagery could be recontextualized as graphic art. By appropriating one of the most reproduced revolutionary portraits of the twentieth century, the print sits squarely in his ongoing inquiry into how symbols of power and dissent are absorbed, flattened, and resold by visual culture. The 1997 date and edition of 100 place it among the relatively early, hand-pulled Obey Giant screen prints that collectors treat as cornerstones of his print catalog. For a Fairey collection, it matters as a clear example of his appropriation strategy and his red-black-cream propaganda palette before the Obama-era breakthrough. Its small edition size and early date give it standing among his foundational works, though the record supplies no pricing, signature, or market data, so significance here rests on its place in his arc and its recognizable subject rather than on any documented sale history.

Collector Perspective

Che appeals to collectors building a chronological Fairey print holding and to those drawn to politically charged pop imagery. With its instantly readable subject and propaganda palette, it displays strongly as a standalone graphic statement or as part of a grouping of late-1990s Obey Giant editions. Collectors who value early hand-pulled screen prints in editions of 100 will see it as an accessible entry into Fairey's foundational period. It pairs naturally with his other 1997-1998 portrait and propaganda prints, reinforcing the appropriation-and-power thread that runs through that body of work. The 18 x 24 inch format suits standard framing and gallery-wall arrangements.

Historical Context

Che dates to 1997, the period when Fairey was converting the OBEY street campaign into a catalog of editioned screen prints under Obey Giant. This phase predates his Obama-era national prominence and shows him mining political and revolutionary portraiture for raw graphic material. The print belongs to the cluster of 1997-1998 editions of 100 that established his propaganda-inspired visual language: limited palettes, bold portraits, and slogan-ready compositions. Appropriating Che Guevara's image connects the work to a long lineage of repurposed revolutionary iconography while foreshadowing the portrait-based, civically engaged work that would define his later career. Within Fairey's arc it functions as an early proof of concept for turning charged political symbols into collectible graphic art.

FAQ

Related Works

Stalin Cabinet1997 · Same 1997 Obey Giant edition of 100 reworking a loaded political figure.

Stalin1998 · Companion appropriated-dictator portrait from the same late-1990s propaganda run.

Tank1997 · Same-year first-edition screen print in the same propaganda-pop series.

Zeppelin1997 · Fellow 1997 edition of 100 from Fairey's early Obey Giant pop-culture prints.

50's Guy1997 · Same 1997 portrait-driven first edition in the pop-culture group.

Fairey Anti-Bush2003 · Later political-figure appropriation extending the same power-critique thread.