Billy Idol

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Billy Idol is a 2008 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches in a signed edition of 400. Fairey created the artwork for Billy Idol's greatest-hits album Idolize Yourself, along with this companion screen-printed poster. The prints are signed by both Fairey and Billy Idol and were priced at $50. The design presents a stylized portrait of the musician, with Fairey describing the package as a fusion of new wave and propaganda aesthetics.

Collector notes: First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 400. The saved release record describes: signed. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Collaborations and pop culture for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.

Historical Context

In the artist's words / from the release record:

“Check out that peroxided spiky hair do… no, it’s not one of the millions of copy cats spawned by the White Wedding video, it is the real BILLY IDOL. Our resident photographer shot lots of photos of us signing prints and hanging out, but then bailed for Mexico with the photos on his laptop. Now that’s what I call a BOLD STRATEGY! Anyway, I did the album package for Billy’s greatest hits album and a screen printed poster to go along with it. The prints are signed by me and Billy. The edition is 400. They are $50. Billy’s album Idolize Yourself comes out June 24. It contains all the classics plu

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned screenprint

Release date

2008-06-25

Release-date note

Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.

Series

Music Series

Medium and materials

Screen Print; catalog dimensions 24 x 18 in.

Edition details

First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 400.

Signature and marks

The saved release record describes: signed. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.

Documented History and Meaning

History note: Shepard Fairey's OBEY / Andre the Giant campaign began in 1989 and grew into a long print and public-art practice; this page treats that as career context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition.

Meaning / interpretation: In the artist's or release record's own words: “Check out that peroxided spiky hair do... no, it’s not one of the millions of copy cats spawned by the White Wedding video, it is the real BILLY IDOL. Our resident photographer shot lots of photos of us signing prints and hanging out, but then bailed for Mexico with the photos on his laptop. Now that’s what I call a BOLD STRATEGY! Anyway, I did the album package for Billy’s greatest hits album and a screen printed poster to go along with it. The prints are signed by me and Billy. The edition is 400. They are $50. Billy’s album Idolize Yourself comes out June 24. It contains all the classics plu. This can be read as the documented intent for the work; no additional endorsement is assumed. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.

Release context: The saved catalog lists 2008-06-25 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under Music Series in the saved record.

Authentication, Presentation and Provenance

Original presentation

Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.

Authentication note

Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.

Provenance note

Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Obey Giant. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.

Sources and Verification

Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added

1. Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, date, edition, dimensions, medium, release price, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
2. About — Shepard Fairey / OBEY GIANT — Obey Giant · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official OBEY GIANT artist biography and career context; it is not an individual-edition record.
3. Shepard Fairey — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
4. Shepard Fairey (Q1142847) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.

Market Context

1. Estimated value. The median of recorded public sale prices for this piece, matched by title and colorway. We use the median (not the average) because it resists outliers.
2. Min / max sale. The lowest and highest individual recorded sale prices; the range shows dispersion, not a guaranteed band.
3. Recorded comps. The number of independent comparable sales; reliability rises with sample size (1–2 sales are indicative only).
4. Liquidity & sales volume. Our liquidity rating reflects sales velocity — the number of recorded comparable sales and how recent the latest sale is. More frequent and more recent sales rate as more liquid (Highly Liquid → Liquid → Moderate → Thin → Very Thin); a piece with no recorded public sales is Extremely Rare.
5. Estimate confidence. A traffic-light read on how well the data supports the estimate: green high, yellow medium, red low / indicative.
6. Data source & currency. Compiled from recorded public marketplace and auction sales of US$200 or more, in US dollars, as of the latest recorded sale shown. Coverage is not exhaustive.
7. Not financial or investment advice. For collector reference only — not an appraisal, offer, or guarantee of resale value. Art is volatile and illiquid; do your own research. Use is subject to our Terms & Conditions.