Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Tom Petty: An American Treasure (Blue / Red)”?
Artist Statement
Tom Petty: An American Treasure (Blue/Red). 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on cream paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey in 2023. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. $100
Summary
Tom Petty: An American Treasure (Blue/Red) is a screen print, 18 x 24 inches, on cream paper, signed by Shepard Fairey in 2023 and numbered in an edition of 550, published by Obey Giant and released in 2025. It is a portrait of musician Tom Petty rendered in a blue and red colorway, one of several editions of the image that also include a First Edition and a Red/Yellow version. The print comes with a digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart. Priced at $100.
Why It Matters
Tom Petty: An American Treasure continues Fairey's long-running tribute series to influential American musicians, applying his signature bold, portrait-driven graphic style to one of rock's most beloved figures. The title itself frames Petty as a national cultural touchstone, aligning the work with Fairey's broader interest in music as a defining thread of American identity. Issued in multiple colorways, including this Blue/Red version alongside a First Edition and a Red/Yellow edition, the image reflects his practice of offering collectors palette variants of a single strong portrait, encouraging set collecting and giving each version its own character. The Blue/Red treatment carries patriotic resonance that reinforces the American Treasure theme. With the source data limited largely to production specifics, the print's significance rests primarily on its place within Fairey's music-portrait catalog and the cultural stature of its subject. For music and portrait collectors, it is a recognizable, display-ready tribute to a major artist, offered as a signed, numbered screen print with documented authenticity, at a $100 price point.
Collector Perspective
This is a clear target for music collectors and Tom Petty fans, as well as collectors of Fairey's musician portraits. The bold blue-and-red portrait is striking and patriotic in tone, making a strong focal point in music-themed or living spaces. With multiple colorways available, including a First Edition and a Red/Yellow version, it appeals to collectors who pursue palette sets of a favored image. At $100 in an edition of 550, it is a mid-accessible signed screen print with broad subject recognition. It fits a music-portrait grouping and pairs with Fairey's other musician tributes. The signature and Verisart certificate confirm its authenticity as an Obey Giant release.
Historical Context
Tom Petty: An American Treasure sits within Fairey's extensive body of music portraiture, a sustained strand of his work celebrating American musicians. Signed in 2023 and issued in this Blue/Red colorway in 2025 by Obey Giant, it reflects his ongoing practice of releasing multiple palette variants of a portrait over time. Within his career arc, the Petty portrait reinforces music as one of the enduring pillars of his subject matter alongside his political and environmental output. The framing of Petty as an American Treasure connects the work to Fairey's recurring engagement with American cultural identity through its most influential artists.
FAQ
Who is depicted in this print?
It is a portrait of musician Tom Petty, titled Tom Petty: An American Treasure. This is the Blue/Red colorway, one of several editions of the image that also include a First Edition and a Red/Yellow version, reflecting Fairey's practice of issuing palette variants.
What are the edition details?
It is a screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches on cream paper, signed by Shepard Fairey in 2023 and numbered in an edition of 550. Published by Obey Giant, the Blue/Red colorway released in 2025 with a digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart, priced at $100.
Are there other versions of this print?
Yes. In addition to this Blue/Red colorway, the image was issued as a First Edition and a Red/Yellow edition, allowing collectors to pursue different palettes of the same Tom Petty portrait.
When was the print signed versus released?
According to the source, the print was signed by Shepard Fairey in 2023, while this Blue/Red edition carries a 2025 release date. It remains a signed, numbered edition of 550 with Verisart authentication.
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.