Kiss (First Edition)

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Kiss is a 1999 screen print, 18 x 24 inches, published by Obey Giant in a first edition of 100. Fairey appropriates the imagery of the rock band KISS, focusing on Gene Simmons, and fuses it with his own OBEY iconography. He layers Andre the Giant's face into Simmons's signature makeup and hair, and renders the GIANT lettering to echo the KISS logo's typography. The result is a deliberately campy mashup that absorbs the band's theatrical, pyrotechnic persona into Fairey's visual language, treating a pop-culture icon as raw material for his ongoing appropriation project.

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 OBEY iconography for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.

Historical Context

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

“KISS Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 100 When I decided to do a KISS poster, I chose Gene Simmons because he was always my favorite member. I thought he had the coolest makeup, and I liked the blood dripping from his mouth and the pyrotechnics he always had around him. I threw Andre’s face in there with Gene’s makeup and hair, and did the Giant type to look like the KISS type. I tried to capture all the campiness of Gene Simmons and KISS and appropriate that for myself.” — Shepard Fairey

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned screenprint

Release date

1999

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: “KISS Screen Print 18 x 24 inches Edition of 100 When I decided to do a KISS poster, I chose Gene Simmons because he was always my favorite member. I thought he had the coolest makeup, and I liked the blood dripping from his mouth and the pyrotechnics he always had around him. I threw Andre’s face in there with Gene’s makeup and hair, and did the Giant type to look like the KISS type. I tried to capture all the campiness of Gene Simmons and KISS and appropriate that for myself.”. 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 1999 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.