Artist Statement
“Lenin Screen Print 18 inches by 24 inches Edition of: 100 This portrait of Lenin was the first image where I tonally superimposed the Obey star behind a portrait so that the two lined up, and it actually works really well, where you almost feel like the star is part of the Lenin portrait. The power of suggestion, once the two are superimposed over each other, is just another form of manipulation: after a lot of people saw this poster, they assumed that the Obey star was an original aspect of the Lenin portrait. Part of what I'm trying to do is get people to question their assumptions. Since t
About This Print
Lenin is a 1997 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant in a First Edition of 100, measuring 18 x 24 inches on paper. Per Fairey's own statement in the record, it was the first image in which he tonally superimposed the OBEY star behind a portrait so the two aligned, making the star feel like part of the Lenin portrait. He describes this as a deliberate exercise in the power of suggestion and manipulation, designed to make viewers question the assumptions and associations they bring to an image. It pairs portraiture with consumerism/power and OBEY iconography themes.
Market Context
Estimated market value: 384.69. Observed range 150.0–1349.0. Latest recorded sale: 2026-04-24. Value is the median of recorded public sales (>= $100); low-high shows the observed sale range.