Two Sides of Capitalism Red/Green Bill by Shepard Fairey: Collector Guide, Value & What to Know
The Shepard Fairey Two Sides of Capitalism Red/Green Bill screen print is a pointed, politically charged work from Fairey's ongoing critique of economic systems — and yes, it is worth buying. Political and conceptual prints from OBEY Giant occupy a distinct collector niche: they appeal to buyers who want fine art with a message, not just a music icon on the wall. This particular print's dual-color currency imagery is visually striking, intellectually loaded, and fully in line with Fairey's most collectible output. If you are looking for a Fairey that sparks conversation as readily as it anchors a room, this is a strong candidate.
About Two Sides of Capitalism Red/Green Bill
Shepard Fairey has spent three decades interrogating the contradictions embedded in consumer capitalism — its promises of freedom, its mechanisms of control, and the way money itself functions as a symbol of both liberation and oppression. Two Sides of Capitalism sits squarely in that tradition. The work draws on the visual grammar of currency — a universally recognized object that everyone handles but few examine critically — and reframes it through Fairey's propaganda-poster lens. The "Red/Green Bill" colorway is not accidental: red signals danger, urgency, and revolution; green is the color of American money and, by extension, the system that produces and circulates it. Together they force the viewer to hold both readings simultaneously.
Fairey chose this subject because currency is the most democratic and the most political object in everyday life. Unlike a portrait subject who requires biographical knowledge to unlock meaning, a bill is instantly legible across cultures and income levels. The work's cultural significance lies in this accessibility — it meets viewers where they are and asks them to look harder at something they have been trained to take for granted. In the broader arc of Fairey's career, the Two Sides of Capitalism series stands alongside his most pointed social commentary, drawing comparisons to his propaganda works on surveillance, consumerism, and manufactured consent.
The Print — What You Are Getting
This is a hand-pulled screen print produced by the OBEY Giant studio in Los Angeles. Fairey's standard screen prints are released in editions typically ranging from 150 to 450, with the most sought-after colorways — and the Red/Green Bill is a standout colorway — frequently selling out on release day and moving immediately into the secondary market. The visual style is classic Fairey: bold flat color fields, high-contrast design derived from Soviet constructivist and mid-century propaganda aesthetics, and the confrontational directness that has defined OBEY Giant's output since the late 1980s. Standard dimensions for this print are 18 x 24 inches, a format that frames cleanly without requiring custom matting. The paper stock is heavy archival-quality, and the ink saturation on OBEY screen prints is consistently high — this is a print that holds up to close inspection.
Authentication and Provenance
OBEY Giant studio documentation is the authentication standard for Shepard Fairey screen prints — full stop. Authentic prints carry a pencil signature in the lower right, a hand-written edition number (e.g., 87/200) in pencil below the image, and the OBEY blind-deboss seal pressed into the paper. These three elements, present together, constitute the complete authentication package. No third-party certificate of authenticity is required or recognized by the Fairey market — in fact, the presence of an aftermarket COA from an unaffiliated grading service is a yellow flag, not a green one, because legitimate OBEY prints do not need supplemental documentation. Provenance matters for high-value Fairey works: direct purchase from the OBEY Giant webstore, documented gallery sales, or a clean chain of private-collector ownership all support value. If a seller cannot account for where a print originated, proceed with caution.
Value in Context
Conceptual and political Fairey prints occupy a specific band in his pricing spectrum. Music-related works — Marley, Cobain, Cash, Strummer — benefit from a dual collector base (fine art buyers plus dedicated music fans), which can push prices above comparable non-music prints. Conceptual works like Two Sides of Capitalism draw from the politically engaged art market and from collectors who track Fairey's thematic series. The Red/Green Bill colorway, as a visually distinctive variant within the series, commands attention from collectors who understand that color variants in limited-edition print runs often appreciate faster than the base edition. For current pricing on this specific print, contact Gauntlet Gallery directly — Fairey print values move with secondary market conditions, and we maintain current market data.
FAQ
Is the Shepard Fairey Two Sides of Capitalism Red/Green Bill print authentic?
Authentic examples carry three elements produced by the OBEY Giant studio: a pencil signature in the lower right corner, a hand-written edition number in pencil (e.g., 87/200), and the OBEY blind-deboss seal pressed into the paper. All three must be present. No third-party COA is required or recognized.
What is the Shepard Fairey Two Sides of Capitalism Red/Green Bill print worth?
Value depends on edition size, colorway, condition, and current secondary market demand. The Red/Green Bill colorway is visually distinctive within the series, supporting a premium over standard editions. Contact Gauntlet Gallery for current market pricing.
Where can I buy the Shepard Fairey Two Sides of Capitalism Red/Green Bill print?
Gauntlet Gallery carries authenticated Shepard Fairey screen prints including works from the Two Sides of Capitalism series. Browse the full collection at gauntlet.gallery/collections/shepard-fairey or contact us directly for availability and pricing.
For deeper context on building a Fairey collection — edition tiers, authentication red flags, and how to read the secondary market — see our Shepard Fairey Collector Guide.
