Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Shepard Fairey Print Index
Cracked Icon Screen Print
Work Summary & Collector Notes
This screen print, “A Cracked Icon,” is a reference to one of my favorite musicians, David Bowie, and his song “Cracked Actor.” I’m fascinated by how we process fragmentation and mutation, often trying to conceive a resolved whole from disparate parts. I was first intrigued by the unlikely juxtapositions of images yielded by ripped posters on the street revealing parts of unrelated images interacting with each other along organic ripped edges. Sometimes, the serendipitous placement of a rip can make two images feel like they are meant to be in conversation. I think that our brains are looking for harmony even within obvious transgression. We are all full of contradictory impulses, and our egos often drive which things we are justifying moment to moment. Bowie was constantly exploring the ideas of ego, fame, identity, and evolution, so I think this image serves as both a pleasing visual and a provocation to consider the tension between harmony and conflict, competition and collaboration. Bowie embraced collaboration adventurously to great success, so hopefully, he’d dig this image and tribute! A Cracked Icon. 24 x 36 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Signed by Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 550. Comes with a Digital Certificate of Authenticity provided by Verisart . $95.
Collector notes: Edition of 550; saved release record states an edition size of 550. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering 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.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2024
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year/date from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- catalog dimensions 24 x 36 inches.
- Edition details
- Edition of 550; saved release record states an edition size of 550.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering 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: Fairey's practice combines propaganda-style imagery, political and countercultural themes, and a recurring OBEY vocabulary. Subject-specific intent is not assumed here unless the release record states it. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2024 and attributes the edition to Obey Giant.
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.