Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Gang Of Four: The Long Goodbye”?
Artist Statement
Last Wednesday was the LA stop on Gang of Four's "The Long Goodbye" final tour. I was honored to be asked by the band to design the tour poster, which is inspired by elements from their Entertainment album cover, their Damaged Goods EP back, and some of the band's lyrics. The Fonda Theater show was powerful and very emotional for me. If you don't know Gang of Four, they are post-punk pioneers who are great musically, with an excellent tension between funk, rhythm, and noise. I also love their lyrics, with many of their songs tackling subjects like consumption, capitalism, obsession with power, exploitation, narcissism, and class structure. I was lucky to see the Gang of Four original line-up live several times in the early to mid-2000s, and they sounded tight and powerful every time. I was very happy when I was asked to design the sleeve for a Gang of Four remix 7-inch in 2005. I like to think that art and music are rare zones where pleasure and intellectual provocation can co-exist powerfully. Gang of Four exemplifies that idea. Thanks for all the inspiration, guys! -Shepard PRINT DETAILS: The Long Goodbye. 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. $65
Summary
Gang of Four: The Long Goodbye is a 2025 Obey Giant screen print, 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper, in a numbered edition of 550. Fairey designed it as the tour poster for Gang of Four's "The Long Goodbye" final tour, drawing on elements from the band's Entertainment album cover, the back of their Damaged Goods EP, and their lyrics. He describes Gang of Four as post-punk pioneers whose songs tackle consumption, capitalism, power, exploitation, and class structure. The print is signed by Shepard Fairey and includes a Verisart Certificate of Authenticity. It priced at $65 on release.
Why It Matters
Gang of Four: The Long Goodbye honors a band Fairey credits as foundational to his sensibility, both musically and ideologically. He describes Gang of Four as "post-punk pioneers" with "an excellent tension between funk, rhythm, and noise," and praises lyrics that address "consumption, capitalism, obsession with power, exploitation, narcissism, and class structure", themes that closely mirror Fairey's own critiques of consumerism and power. The poster's design references specific band artifacts, drawing on their Entertainment album cover, the back of their Damaged Goods EP, and their lyrics, giving it depth for fans who recognize those sources. Created for the band's final tour and tied to an emotional LA show Fairey attended, it functions as both commission and personal tribute. Fairey notes he previously designed a Gang of Four remix 7-inch sleeve in 2005, underscoring a long relationship with the band. For collectors, the print unites Fairey's music-poster practice with his anti-consumerist worldview, appealing to post-punk fans and to those who value the intellectual, politically charged lineage Fairey draws from in his music work.
Collector Perspective
This print appeals to post-punk fans, Gang of Four followers, and collectors of Fairey's music posters, especially those who appreciate work tied to anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist themes. As the poster for the band's final tour, it carries commemorative weight, and its references to the Entertainment cover and Damaged Goods EP reward fans who know the band's catalog. At 18 x 24 inches with a numbered edition of 550, it frames easily and sits within a defined edition. The artist signature and Verisart certificate support documented authenticity. It fits a focused post-punk or music-poster grouping alongside Fairey's other band tributes.
Historical Context
Released in 2025 through Obey Giant, Gang of Four: The Long Goodbye marks the band's final tour and continues Fairey's long relationship with the group, which he notes dates to designing a Gang of Four remix 7-inch sleeve in 2005. The poster's references to the Entertainment album cover and Damaged Goods EP situate it within his practice of building music prints from a band's own visual and lyrical artifacts. Fairey aligns the band's critiques of capitalism, power, and class with his own consumerism-and-power themes, making this both a tribute and an extension of his ideological concerns. It belongs among his contemporary music posters honoring the post-punk acts that shaped his outlook.
FAQ
What is this print for?
Fairey designed it as the tour poster for Gang of Four's "The Long Goodbye" final tour. He notes the LA stop at the Fonda Theater was a powerful and emotional show for him, and the poster commemorates the post-punk band's farewell.
What inspired the design?
According to Fairey, the poster is inspired by elements from Gang of Four's Entertainment album cover, the back of their Damaged Goods EP, and some of the band's lyrics, combining recognizable visual and lyrical references from the band's catalog.
What are the edition details?
Gang of Four: The Long Goodbye is a First Edition screen print measuring 18 x 24 inches on 80# cream Speckletone paper, in a numbered edition of 550. It is signed by Shepard Fairey and includes a Digital Certificate of Authenticity from Verisart. It was released in 2025 at $65.
What is Fairey's connection to Gang of Four?
Fairey says he saw the original lineup live several times in the early-to-mid 2000s and designed the sleeve for a Gang of Four remix 7-inch in 2005. He admires their tension between funk, rhythm, and noise and their lyrics on capitalism, power, and class.
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.