Johnny Ramone Smokin' Strings

Work Summary & Collector Notes

Johnny Ramone Smokin' Strings is a 2024 Shepard Fairey screen print, 18 x 24 inches, printed on thick cream Speckletone paper in a numbered edition of 600, signed by Fairey. The portrait of Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone shows smoke coming off his guitar strings, a nod both to his aggressive playing and to the cigarette smoke in the Pulp Fiction poster. The image originated from a flyer Fairey designed for a Johnny Ramone tribute event he DJ'd, which also screened Pulp Fiction; at Linda Ramone's suggestion he developed it into a new illustration. The print comes with a Verisart Digital Certificate of Authenticity.

Collector notes: First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 600. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet groups this work under Portraits and legacy for discovery; that category is a navigation aid, not an authentication conclusion.

Historical Context

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

“At the invitation of my friend Linda Ramone, I was honored to design the flyer for and DJ at the most recent Johnny Ramone tribute, which also screened the movie Pulp Fiction, one of my favorites. Linda liked the flyer design a lot and suggested I make a new illustration of Johnny Ramone based on the image, which incorporated smoke coming off of Johnny's strings as a nod to his shredding playing and the smoke from Uma Thurman's cigarette in the Pulp Fiction poster. I'm very happy with how the art poster turned out. I first got into the Ramones in 1984, and they quickly became one of my favori

Documented Release Details

Object type

Editioned screenprint

Release date

2024-06-13

Release-date note

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

Series

Music Series

Medium and materials

Screen Print; catalog dimensions 24 x 18 in; cream Speckletone paper noted in the release description.

Edition details

First Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 600.

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: “At the invitation of my friend Linda Ramone, I was honored to design the flyer for and DJ at the most recent Johnny Ramone tribute, which also screened the movie Pulp Fiction, one of my favorites. Linda liked the flyer design a lot and suggested I make a new illustration of Johnny Ramone based on the image, which incorporated smoke coming off of Johnny's strings as a nod to his shredding playing and the smoke from Uma Thurman's cigarette in the Pulp Fiction poster. I'm very happy with how the art poster turned out. I first got into the Ramones in 1984, and they quickly became one of my favori. 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 2024-06-13 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant. It is grouped under Music 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.