Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
Torn Icon (Letterpress)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Torn Icon is a 2025 letterpress, 10.25 x 13 inches, printed on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges in a signed, numbered edition of 450 published by Obey Giant. The image renders the OBEY Icon Face as it appears after being ripped and torn by cleaning crews, pedestrians, and weather on the street. Fairey frames the worn, scarred poster as evidence of organic decay and street-art impermanence, noting the Icon stays legible even when largely obscured. It carries the Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner and ships with a Verisart digital certificate of authenticity. Priced at $65.
Collector notes: Letterpress; saved release record states an edition size of 450. 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:
“This Torn Icon letterpress is based on one of the many Icon Face posters put up on the street that has been ripped and torn by cleaning crews, pedestrians, and the elements. One of the things I've accepted about street art is that it will not last forever, but there is also beauty in the organic decay as the pieces live in the environment. Scarred posters, with their unpredictable textures, often have more character than the pristine ones. A functional benefit of the bold simplicity of the Icon Face is that it is legible and recognizable even when a large percentage of it is obscured or destr
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2025-01-30
- 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 10.25 in.
- Edition details
- Letterpress; saved release record states an edition size of 450.
- 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: “This Torn Icon letterpress is based on one of the many Icon Face posters put up on the street that has been ripped and torn by cleaning crews, pedestrians, and the elements. One of the things I've accepted about street art is that it will not last forever, but there is also beauty in the organic decay as the pieces live in the environment. Scarred posters, with their unpredictable textures, often have more character than the pristine ones. A functional benefit of the bold simplicity of the Icon Face is that it is legible and recognizable even when a large percentage of it is obscured or destr. 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 2025-01-30 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 $65.00.
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.