Shepard Fairey

The volume is dedicated to Shepard Fairey (Charleston, 1970), one of the best known urban art artists in the world. Established under the pseudonym of OBEY thanks to a successful campaign of stickers spread in a viral way, depicting the face of wrestling champion André The Giant, the American artist has achieved international visibility thanks to the portrait of Obama, immortalised in the iconic 2008 ‘Hope’ poster for his presidential campaign. In these pages the artist presents 30 recent unpublished graphic works (2019), which retrace 30 years of activity through his most famous icons: many social and political themes that inspired his production, from the struggle for peace and against racial violence, the defense of human and gender dignity up to environment protection. The graphics constitute a unique and unrepeatable concept, designed specifically for the Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, where they are put in dialogue with important works from the contemporary art collection of the Capitoline Superintendence, selected by the artist himself. The volume, with an intervention by Shepard Fairey and numerous critical texts, is completed by a biography and bibliographical apparatus. Text in English and Italian.