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Shepard Fairey

One of the most influential street artists working today, Shepard Fairey has created political works across several mediums, including stickers, screenprints, and spray paint. Originating underground, his art has become prominent in both pop culture and the art world, embracing marketing and advertising strategies, as well as political and social activism. Challenging the status quo, one of his most famous projects, Obey Giant (1990-present), illustrated Fairey's interest in phenomenology and subversion, as he quietly placed his Andre the Giant stickers in cities across the globe. His poster Hope became the defining image of the 2008 presidential campaign, capturing Barack Obama's message for change with bold colors and clean lines.

Fairey's works have been exhibited in numerous public and private institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Smithsonian Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art. Recent solo exhibitions include Printed Matters: Paix et Justice, S16 Gallery Montreal, Canada, 2022, Eyes Open, Minds Open, Lotte Museum of Art Seoul, Korea, 2022, Backward Forward, Dallas Contemporary Dallas, Texas, 2022-2023, New Clear Power, A Museum of Contemporary Art Munich, Germany, 2022-2023, among others. 

Born 1970
Hometown Charleston, SC
Lives and Works Los Angeles, CA
Education
BFA Illustration, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, 1992
Permanent Collection

The New Museum of Design, New York, NY
San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
Museum of Modern Art, San Diego, CA
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
Holly Solomon Gallery. New York, NY
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Boston, MA
Harvard Print Museum, Cambridge, MA

Representing Galleries

Deitch Projects, New York, NY, Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI, and Taglialatella Galleries, New York, NY

Articles

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