Unique work from a series of 3 variants

National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. (another example).

Arts for Life Benefit Auction, East Hampton, New York, July 19, 2008, lot 79609; Private collection, acquired from the above; Sotheby's, New York, October 2, 2020, lot 269; Private collection, acquired from the above.

Shepard Fairey (b. 1970) HOPE (Barack Obama), 2008 Hand-finished collage, stencil, and acrylic on paper 69-3/4 x 45-3/4 inches (177.2 x 116.2 cm) (sheet) Unique work from a series of 3 variants Signed and dated center left: Shepard Fairey 08 PROVENANCE: Arts for Life Benefit Auction, East Hampton, New York, July 19, 2008, lot 79609; Private collection, acquired from the above; Sotheby's, New York, October 2, 2020, lot 269; Private collection, acquired from the above. EXHIBITED: National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. (another example). LITERATURE: S. Fairey, OBEY: Supply and Demand - The Art of Shepard Fairey, New York, 2009, pp. 270-273, another example illustrated. NOTE: Shepard Fairey has long enjoyed an esteemed position in the world of American street art, but his collaboration with the Obama campaign in 2008 launched him into the mainstream consciousness, earning global recognition for his work. During the 2008 presidential election, Fairey was enamored with the message of then-Senator Barack Obama and enthusiastically threw his support and his talents behind the young candidate. The resulting image seamlessly combines existing tradition with Fairey's trademark style. With an Associated Press photograph by Mannie Garcia, itself an echo of portraits of popular former presidents John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln, serving as a foundation, Fairey built up the composition: the bold graphic style of Soviet-era socialist propaganda with its sharp, high-contrast technique is Americanized in red, blue, and a muted beige, accented with the sunburst campaign logo designed by Sol Sender. In an early example of artistic collaboration by the Obama team, Fairey's portrait was embraced as an official image of the campaign, signaling the presidential hopeful's youth, connection to street culture, and his general willingness to break the mold. Inclusion was at the forefront of Fairey's marketing efforts. While employing the tried and true media of his early career, stickers and posters, offerings expanded to t-shirts, mugs, and, taking full advantage of the internet age, free online downloads. In an interview with GQ Online in 2012, Fairey reflected, "I want people to be able to get my stuff, ranging from serious art collections down to high-school students." Shareable media, in the form of stickers and patches, was already a mainstay of the street scene; Fairey's sticker campaigns of the 1990s, starting with his André the Giant Has a Posse, which evolved into his foundational work, OBEY Giant, had an astonishingly wide reach even without an online presence. But the advent of social media provided limitless, immediate communication, allowing this image to "go viral," the first presidential portrait ever to do so, and rendering it universally recognizable across the globe in the course of only a few months. Gilbert Stuart and Matthew Brady's portraits of Washington and Lincoln, respectively, have taken a back seat to the duo of Fairey and Obama as a "household name," in the visual sense. The New Yorker's Peter Schjeldahl declared the poster "the most efficacious American political illustration since 'Uncle Sam Wants You'," an assertion that still rings true almost 20 years later. From a group of 3 unique collages produced by Fairey, aside from the present work, one is in private hands (sold in these rooms May 19, 2022) and the other resides in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery. The NPG acquired the work in early January 2009, prior to Obama's inauguration, in a shock departure from their standard acquisition practice for presidential portraits, usually near the end of term, a remarkable commentary on the importance of this work and the impact it had on American culture. HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

Presents very well. Scattered small rips, scratches, and losses, consistent with the artist's practice and original to production. There appear to be no major condition issues affecting the work. Sheet is hinged to board along edges of verso. Framed under acrylic. Not examined out of frame due to size. Framed Dimensions 75 X 50.5 Inches