Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Joe Strummer - Know Your Rights”?
Artist Statement
With my ICONS art show happening this weekend it made sense to celebrate the musical and philosophical icon Joe Strummer, lead singer and lyricist of the Clash who are my all-time favorite band. Joe Strummer is a hero of mine for his music, lyrics, wit, compassion for the underdog, and stance against injustice. Joe is also known for the phrase "The Future is Unwritten" which is a mantra I live by. As a teen I was fueled by the fury of punk, but Joe added heart and intellect to punk in a way that grew with me as I realized that anger without meaningful purpose is a dead end. I was honored to collaborate on this art with photographer Jenny Lens whose candid shots of the early Punk scene are amazing. –Shepard Here's what Jenny has to say about the picture: The Clash, Santa Monica Civic, March 4, 1980. No cameras allowed in the venue. I was seduced by three of the Clash road crew. Not all at once. They gave me onstage access without begging. Nice. I drove my fave, Topper's roadie, Baker, for westside band errands. He later told me I was "a fair maiden." Oh. Being on the guest list, I could shoot standing on the stage. I took this spontaneous photo of the FAB Joe Strummer backstage. Thank you Shep for finding the precise power and beauty in my photo. Joe's expressive face. Which I see so often in my many amazing live Clash photos. I am always quoting "Know Your Rights" to others. I constantly remind them and myself "The future is unwritten." My mottos pre-and-post-punk. Long Live The Clash and Joe Strummer! –Jenny Lens A portion of proceeds will benefit The Joe Strummer Fund and Single Homeless Project in their aim of engaging artists and creatives with the experience of homelessness to create new and original music and media. PRINT DETAILS: Joe Strummer - Know Your Rights. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Original Illustration based on a photograph by Jenny Lens. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $70.
Summary
Joe Strummer - Know Your Rights is a 2023 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, on thick cream Speckletone paper in a signed, numbered edition of 550 published by Obey Giant. It honors Joe Strummer, lead singer and lyricist of the Clash, Fairey's all-time favorite band, and was released around his ICONS art show. The portrait is an original illustration based on a photograph by Jenny Lens, who documented the early punk scene and shot Strummer backstage at the Santa Monica Civic in 1980. The title references the Clash song and Strummer's mantra The Future is Unwritten. A portion of proceeds benefits The Joe Strummer Fund and the Single Homeless Project.
Why It Matters
Joe Strummer - Know Your Rights distills Fairey's foundational relationship to punk and its social conscience. Strummer and the Clash, his self-described all-time favorite band, shaped the fusion of anger, heart, and intellect that Fairey credits as central to his own development, making this portrait one of his most personally significant music tributes. The print explicitly ties the punk ethos to justice and compassion for the underdog, with its title drawn from the Clash's Know Your Rights, giving it a strong civil-rights and counterculture dimension beyond a simple celebrity image. The collaboration with photographer Jenny Lens, whose candid 1980 backstage shot anchors the portrait, adds documentary depth and connects the work to the people who chronicled punk firsthand. The charitable tie to The Joe Strummer Fund and the Single Homeless Project, supporting creative work with people experiencing homelessness, extends Strummer's own activist spirit. Released alongside Fairey's ICONS exhibition, it sits at the meeting point of his music passion and his message-driven practice. For collectors, the combination of a beloved subject, a documented photo source, an edition of 550, and a meaningful cause makes it a standout among his musician portraits.
Collector Perspective
This print is a strong draw for collectors of Fairey's music portraits and for Clash and punk fans, carrying both iconic subject matter and genuine personal resonance for the artist. The Jenny Lens photo collaboration and charitable tie give it added depth for buyers who value provenance and meaning. At an edition of 550 and an accessible release price, it suits a wide range of collectors. The bold portrait displays well and pairs naturally with other punk and counterculture pieces in a music-themed grouping. It fits a music sub-collection alongside other Fairey musician tributes and works that touch on civil rights and justice.
Historical Context
Joe Strummer - Know Your Rights connects directly to the punk roots Fairey cites as formative. The description recalls how, as a teen, he was fueled by punk's fury before Strummer's heart and intellect reshaped his understanding of purpose, anchoring the print in the counterculture that underpins his career. Released in 2023 around his ICONS exhibition, it represents Fairey honoring a personal hero while extending his practice of basing portraits on documentary photographs, here Jenny Lens's 1980 backstage image. The tie to The Joe Strummer Fund and a homelessness charity reflects his consistent linking of releases to social causes. Within his catalog it joins a steady line of musician tributes, but its subject's centrality to Fairey's worldview gives it particular weight.
FAQ
Who is depicted in this print?
The print depicts Joe Strummer, lead singer and lyricist of the Clash, whom Fairey calls a hero for his music, lyrics, and stance against injustice. The portrait is an original illustration based on a photograph by Jenny Lens.
What is the edition size?
Joe Strummer - Know Your Rights is a signed, numbered screen print in an edition of 550, published by Obey Giant in 2023, signed by Shepard Fairey with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity.
Does this print support a cause?
Yes. According to the source, a portion of proceeds benefits The Joe Strummer Fund and the Single Homeless Project, which engages artists experiencing homelessness in creating new music and media.
What photograph is it based on?
The portrait is based on a 1980 backstage photograph of Joe Strummer taken by Jenny Lens at the Santa Monica Civic, a documentarian of the early punk scene credited as collaborator on the print.
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.