Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
They Live We Sleep (Cream)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
They Live We Sleep (Cream) is a 2025 letterpress print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant. It measures 10 x 13 inches on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, signed by Fairey in a numbered edition of 200, issued at $65, with an Obey publishing chop in the lower left corner and a Verisart digital Certificate of Authenticity. Offered in Black and Cream, the image centers on a skull drawn from skateboard and punk iconography and from the film 'They Live,' whose graffiti 'They Live We Sleep' inspired Fairey's use of OBEY. He adds an oil derrick in the skull's forehead to spotlight climate change and environmental peril.
Collector notes: Black · Cream; saved release record states an edition size of 200. 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:
“The "They Live We Sleep" letterpress is inspired by several things. My original interest in skulls came from their recurrent presence in skateboard and punk rock iconography of the 80s. Especially the Powell Peralta "Bones Ripper" illustrated by Vernon Courtlandt Johnson. I was also a big fan of Lance Mountain's and Ric Clayton's skull drawings for Suicidal Tendencies. Skulls were also a prominent part of the alien ghoul characters in the movie "They Live," which inspired my use of the word OBEY in my art. Graffiti on a wall in the movie "They Live" said "They Live We Sleep". That graffiti ba
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2025-07-24
- 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 13 x 10 in.
- Edition details
- Black · Cream; saved release record states an edition size of 200.
- 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: “The "They Live We Sleep" letterpress is inspired by several things. My original interest in skulls came from their recurrent presence in skateboard and punk rock iconography of the 80s. Especially the Powell Peralta "Bones Ripper" illustrated by Vernon Courtlandt Johnson. I was also a big fan of Lance Mountain's and Ric Clayton's skull drawings for Suicidal Tendencies. Skulls were also a prominent part of the alien ghoul characters in the movie "They Live," which inspired my use of the word OBEY in my art. Graffiti on a wall in the movie "They Live" said "They Live We Sleep". That graffiti ba. 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 2025-07-24 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 $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.
Market Context
- 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.
- Min / max sale. The lowest and highest individual recorded sale prices; the range shows dispersion, not a guaranteed band.
- Recorded comps. The number of independent comparable sales; reliability rises with sample size (1–2 sales are indicative only).
- 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.
- Estimate confidence. A traffic-light read on how well the data supports the estimate: green high, yellow medium, red low / indicative.
- 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.
- 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.