Shepard Fairey

One of the most recognized contemporary artists in the United States, Shepard Fairey is a street artist, graphic designer, creative entrepreneur and social phenomenologist. Fairey is internationally well-known for his Andre the Giant Has a Posse and OBEY street art campaigns. His stickers and wheat-pasted graphics are seen on street signs, billboards and walls in virtually every metropolitan area worldwide.




Fairey is also an accomplished graphic designer and fine artist, with major retrospectives at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, The Andy Warhol Museum, Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati and Deitch Projects New York City. In 2008, Fairey created the iconic "Hope" graphic of then-Presidential candidate Barack Obama, which is now displayed in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.

The Hope poster




Barack Obama "HOPE" posterFairey created a series of posters supporting Barack Obama's 2008 candidacy for President of the United States, including the iconic "HOPE" portrait.[25][26]The New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl called the poster "the most efficacious American political illustration since 'Uncle Sam Wants You'".[27][28] Fairey also created an exclusive design for Rock the Vote. Because the Hope poster had been "perpetuated illegally" and independently by the street artist, the Obama campaign declined to have any direct affiliation with it.[29] Although the campaign officially disavowed any involvement in the creation or popularization of the poster, Fairey has commented in interviews that he was in communication with campaign officials during the period immediately following the poster's release. Fairey has stated that the original version featured the word "PROGRESS" instead of the word "HOPE," and that within weeks of its release, the campaign requested that he issue (and legally disseminate) a new version, keeping the powerful image of Obama's face but captioning it with the word "HOPE".[30] The campaign openly embraced the revised poster along with two additional Fairey posters that featured the words "CHANGE" and "VOTE".

Fairey distributed 300,000 stickers and 500,000 posters during the campaign,[30] funding his grassroots electioneering through poster and fine art sales. "I just put all that money back into making more stuff, so I didn't keep any of the Obama money," said Fairey in December 2008.[31] In February 2008, Fairey received a letter of thanks from Obama for his contribution to the campaign. The letter stated:

“ I would like to thank you for using your talent in support of my campaign. The political messages involved in your work have encouraged Americans to believe they can change the status-quo. Your images have a profound effect on people, whether seen in a gallery or on a stop sign. I am privileged to be a part of your artwork and proud to have your support. – Barack Obama, February 22, 2008 ”

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