Cop 2 (First Edition)

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Cop 2 is a 1998 Shepard Fairey screen print published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 100, measuring 18 x 24 inches. The image presents an authoritarian police figure rendered in Fairey's high-contrast, propaganda-poster vocabulary, isolating a symbol of state power and surveillance as the subject. As one of Fairey's early Obey Giant editions, it uses bold graphic reduction and a limited palette to turn an everyday emblem of authority into a confrontational icon. The print belongs to a tight cluster of late-1990s editioned works that recast figures and symbols of control and ideology through the visual language of mass-produced propaganda.

Collector notes: First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 100. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering 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:

“Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 100” — Shepard Fairey

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned screenprint

Release date

1998

Release-date note

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

Series

OBEY Icon Series

Medium and materials

Screen Print; catalog dimensions 24 x 18 in.

Edition details

First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 100.

Signature and marks

Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering 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: “Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 100”. 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 1998 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under OBEY Icon 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.