Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Third Eye Open (Holiday Edition)”?
Artist Statement
I created this Holiday version of the Third Eye Open incorporating the portrait I originally made for my Make Art Not War print back during the Iraq War. I created this for my friends and family as a message of peace this holiday season, but I'm releasing a very small number of these to my collectors as a thank you for your support. This print image also includes a third eye blooming like a flower, I believe that what the third eye represents: a dialogue with one's inner self, higher consciousness, and quest for enlightenment, is essential to achieve peace and harmony. I've often used the phrase "eyes open-mind open" and I think "third eye open" is a similar but slightly weightier idea because it addresses looking not only outward to observe, but inward as well. -Shepard Third Eye Open Holiday. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $55.
Summary
Third Eye Open (Holiday Edition) is a 2024 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper. It is signed and numbered in an edition of 550 and was offered at $55 with a digital Certificate of Authenticity via Verisart. The Holiday version reuses the portrait Fairey originally made for his Make Art Not War print and adds a third eye blooming like a flower. Created as a message of peace for the holiday season, the image links the third eye to inner dialogue, higher consciousness, and the pursuit of enlightenment, harmony, and peace.
Why It Matters
Third Eye Open knits together several recurring strands of Fairey's work: a peace message, floral symbolism, and the reuse of an earlier portrait. The source notes the central portrait originated in his Make Art Not War print, tying this holiday release back to his anti-war output. The blooming third eye, rendered like a flower, makes the print's metaphor explicit, looking inward as well as outward, which Fairey frames as essential to peace and harmony. He connects it to his longstanding 'eyes open, mind open' phrasing and offers 'third eye open' as a slightly weightier extension. Released in a numbered edition of 550 as a thank-you to collectors, it occupies an accessible $55 tier and carries Verisart digital authentication, reflecting Fairey's adoption of blockchain-based COAs in this period. For collectors, the appeal lies in the combination of a meaningful peace message, the floral motif, and the documented lineage to a notable earlier work, all in a modestly sized signed edition that balances availability with a defined edition cap.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to collectors drawn to Fairey's peace and floral imagery, to symbolic and spiritually themed work, and to those who value pieces with a traceable connection to an earlier print like Make Art Not War. At $55 in a numbered edition of 550, it is an accessible signed screen print suitable for newer collectors and for thematic groupings around peace, enlightenment, or floral symbolism. The cream Speckletone stock and holiday framing give it a warm, giftable character. It displays well as a focal piece or in a cluster of peace-themed Fairey works, and the Verisart digital COA supports provenance for resale.
Historical Context
Third Eye Open sits in Fairey's contemporary period but draws directly on his Iraq War-era anti-war work, reusing the portrait he made for Make Art Not War during that conflict. This reuse is characteristic of his practice of recombining established images with new symbolic layers. The blooming third eye and peace framing connect the print to his broader, decades-long advocacy for peace and consciousness, themes he expresses through phrases like 'eyes open, mind open.' Released as a 2024 holiday thank-you to collectors with Verisart authentication, it reflects both his ongoing peace messaging and his adoption of digital provenance tools in recent releases.
FAQ
What is the meaning of the third eye in this print?
Fairey describes the third eye as representing dialogue with one's inner self, higher consciousness, and the quest for enlightenment, which he sees as essential to peace and harmony. Here a third eye blooms like a flower, and he frames 'third eye open' as looking both outward to observe and inward to reflect.
Where did the central portrait come from?
According to the record, the portrait was originally created for Fairey's Make Art Not War print made during the Iraq War. This Holiday Edition reuses that portrait and adds the blooming third-eye element, creating a direct visual link to his earlier anti-war work.
What are the edition details?
It is a screen print on 80# cream Speckletone paper, 18 x 24 inches, signed by Shepard Fairey and numbered in an edition of 550. It was released at $55 and comes with a digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart.
Why was it released?
Fairey created the Holiday version as a message of peace for friends and family during the holiday season, then released a small number to collectors as a thank-you for their support. The record does not state that it is sold out.
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.