Obey Magnifying Glass (Red)

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Obey Magnifying Glass (Red) (2021) is a letterpress print by Shepard Fairey on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, measuring 10 x 13 inches in a signed, numbered edition of 350 with an Obey publishing chop in the lower left. Per Fairey, it is a new iteration of an homage to Roy Lichtenstein's 'Magnifying Glass,' reworked with a different composition and the Obey icon face. The image reflects his admiration for Pop Art's use of conspicuous halftone dots. It was released in two colorways, Red and Cream, available separately or as a matching numbered set.

Collector notes: Cream · Red; saved release record states an edition size of 350. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature 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:

“I've been a big fan of Roy Lichtenstein's Pop Art since late high school, and I especially like some of his pieces that conceptually, and often humorously, examine mechanical reproduction. A signature element of Lichtenstein's art is conspicuous halftone dots. Halftone dots are a very commonly used way of creating a sense of grey tones when printing only with black ink by varying the density of the dots. Warhol used halftones in his screen prints, but in a less stylized and exaggerated way than Lichtenstein's approach, placing them front and center as a stylistic signature of his art. When I'

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned print or object

Release date

2021-08-03

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

Letterpress; catalog dimensions 13 x 10 in.

Edition details

Cream · Red; saved release record states an edition size of 350.

Signature and marks

The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. 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: “I've been a big fan of Roy Lichtenstein's Pop Art since late high school, and I especially like some of his pieces that conceptually, and often humorously, examine mechanical reproduction. A signature element of Lichtenstein's art is conspicuous halftone dots. Halftone dots are a very commonly used way of creating a sense of grey tones when printing only with black ink by varying the density of the dots. Warhol used halftones in his screen prints, but in a less stylized and exaggerated way than Lichtenstein's approach, placing them front and center as a stylistic signature of his art. When I'. 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 2021-08-03 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under OBEY Icon Series in the saved record. The saved record notes an original release price of USD $70.00.

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.