Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
AK-47 Lotus (Offset Lithograph)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
AK-47 Lotus is a 2024 Shepard Fairey offset lithograph pairing a lotus with an AK-47 rifle, released as a two-image set with AR-15 Lily. The imagery references Vietnam War protesters who placed flowers in soldiers' gun barrels. Measuring 24 x 36 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper, this offset edition is signed and issued as an open, unnumbered edition by Obey Giant at $40. Fairey describes himself as a pacifist seeking diplomatic solutions to both war abroad and gun violence at home. Doctors Without Borders receives a portion of proceeds from the print.
Collector notes: Legacy catalog label: First Edition · Large Format · Letterpress · Offset Lithograph; total quantity was not documented in the saved record. The saved release record describes: signed. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Peace and anti-war for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.
Historical Context
In the artist's words / from the release record:
“The AK-47 Lotus and AR-15 Lily images are inspired by Vietnam War protesters who would put flowers in the gun barrels of the National Guard who were brought in to suppress their protests for peace. I'm a pacifist, whether that means finding diplomatic solutions to prevent and avoid war internationally or finding diplomatic solutions to prevent and avoid gun violence at home. I want fewer people to die unnecessarily. Doctors Without Borders will receive a portion of proceeds from these two prints to support their efforts in war-torn parts of the world. Thanks for caring.? -Shepard? AK-47 Lotus
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned lithograph
- Release date
- 2024-02-15
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Series
- Political Series
- Medium and materials
- Offset Lithograph; catalog dimensions 36 x 24 in; cream Speckletone paper noted in the release description.
- Edition details
- Legacy catalog label: First Edition · Large Format · Letterpress · Offset Lithograph; total quantity was not documented in the saved record.
- 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: “The AK-47 Lotus and AR-15 Lily images are inspired by Vietnam War protesters who would put flowers in the gun barrels of the National Guard who were brought in to suppress their protests for peace. I'm a pacifist, whether that means finding diplomatic solutions to prevent and avoid war internationally or finding diplomatic solutions to prevent and avoid gun violence at home. I want fewer people to die unnecessarily. Doctors Without Borders will receive a portion of proceeds from these two prints to support their efforts in war-torn parts of the world. Thanks for caring.? -Shepard? AK-47 Lotus. 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 2024-02-15 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under Political Series in the saved record. The saved record notes an original release price of USD $40.00.
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.