Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
Paint It Black (Hand) (Positive Propaganda Letterpress)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Paint It Black (Hand) (Positive Propaganda Letterpress) is a 2023 letterpress print published by Obey Giant, made especially for Fairey's New Clear Power show at AMUSEUM in Munich. Printed on white cotton paper with hand-deckled edges at 12 x 16 inches, it is signed by Shepard Fairey, numbered in an edition of 275, and comes with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity. Referencing the Rolling Stones song, the work addresses oil's outsized influence over energy and foreign policy and the need to transition to sustainable energy. Proceeds go to Greenpeace USA. Released February 16, 2023, at an original price of $95.
Collector notes: First Edition · Large Format · Positive Propaganda Letterpress · Relief Print; saved release record states an edition size of 275. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Environment and climate 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 made a few Paint it Black themed images and this letterpress print was made especially for my New Clear Power show at AMUSEUM in Munich Unfortunately, the topic remains in need of urgent action! In addition to referencing a great Rolling Stones song, Paint it Black is about oil dictating too much of our energy and foreign policy. Imagine if all the money spent on wars and strategic interests in the Middle East went to developing green energy alternatives. Instead, our government subsidizes the highly profitable oil and gas industries for $40 billion annually because no politician wants t
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2023-02-16
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Series
- Environmental Series
- Medium and materials
- Letterpress; catalog dimensions 16 x 12 in.
- Edition details
- First Edition · Large Format · Positive Propaganda Letterpress · Relief Print; saved release record states an edition size of 275.
- 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 made a few Paint it Black themed images and this letterpress print was made especially for my New Clear Power show at AMUSEUM in Munich Unfortunately, the topic remains in need of urgent action! In addition to referencing a great Rolling Stones song, Paint it Black is about oil dictating too much of our energy and foreign policy. Imagine if all the money spent on wars and strategic interests in the Middle East went to developing green energy alternatives. Instead, our government subsidizes the highly profitable oil and gas industries for $40 billion annually because no politician wants t. 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 2023-02-16 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under Environmental Series in the saved record. The saved record notes an original release price of USD $95.00.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shepard Fairey — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Shepard Fairey (Q1142847) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.