Shepard Fairey Dark Wave HUGE 36x24 Signed Framed Ocean Print OBEY

Shepard Fairey — “Dark Wave” — Large Format 36 x 24 in. — Signed — Framed

A dramatic, oversized Shepard Fairey ocean image with exceptional wall presence.

Dark Wave is one of Fairey’s most atmospheric environmental works, built around a huge curling wave rendered in deep black, brown, tan, and gold tones over a layered collage-style background. The composition is much more textural and painterly than many of Fairey’s portrait-driven releases, with the water dominating nearly the entire image and the distressed background introducing newspaper, ornamental, and environmental imagery.

Fairey originally developed the Dark Wave image in response to environmental concerns surrounding the 2010 BP Gulf oil spill, using the contrast between hypnotic ocean imagery and contaminated water as part of the work’s underlying environmental message.

This version is especially impressive because it is the large 24 x 36 inch format, not the much smaller 18 x 24 edition collectors often encounter. Large-format examples create an entirely different visual effect in person and work particularly well as a primary statement piece over a sofa, bed, credenza, or office desk. Later signed offset editions of Dark Wave are documented at approximately 24 x 36 inches / 61 x 91.5 cm.

The piece has been professionally presented in a substantial distressed wood frame with warm-toned matting that complements the brown, black, cream, and gold palette of the artwork.

Details

* Artist: Shepard Fairey

* Title: Dark Wave

* Subject: Ocean / wave / environmental imagery

* Approx. Print Size: 24 x 36 inches

* Orientation: Landscape

* Signature: Signed in pencil lower right

* Presentation: Large custom-framed presentation as shown

* Style: Street Art / Contemporary / Environmental / Graphic Art

* Publisher association: OBEY Giant

Condition

Good condition. Please see all photos for exact condition.

The artwork and frame show normal age and presentation-related wear consistent with a previously framed piece. Close-up photographs are included showing the artwork surface, corners, frame, matting, and signature.

Please consider all photographs part of the condition description.

The frame itself has a deliberately rustic/distressed appearance that works particularly well with the aged collage aesthetic of the print.

Why This One Stands Out

The scale is the big selling point.

Most Fairey prints collectors see online are 18 x 24 inches. This one is roughly 50% wider and substantially larger in total surface area, giving the wave enough physical scale to dominate a wall rather than reading like a conventional poster.

The restrained brown/black/gold palette also gives it broader interior-design appeal than many of Fairey’s bright red political works. It can fit into contemporary, coastal, industrial, mid-century, surf-inspired, or traditional interiors.

For collectors of Shepard Fairey, OBEY Giant, large-format street art, environmental art, surf imagery, and contemporary printmaking, this is one of the better Fairey works for sheer wall presence.

You will receive the exact framed artwork shown in the original photographs. Interior mockups are included solely to demonstrate approximate scale and presentation.

Estimated Price Range

There are several very different Dark Wave markets, so distinguishing your version matters.

A standard 18 x 24 inch 2010 signed/numbered screenprint sold at auction in 2024 for $285, while Heritage sold an earlier 24 x 36 signed offset example for $400 in 2019. More recent 24 x 36 signed offset examples have sold at UK auction around £125–£188, although those were unframed auction sales and represent wholesale-level pricing rather than framed retail.

The truly rare 37 x 48.5 inch edition-of-50 large-format screenprint is a completely different tier: Heritage recorded one at $1,500, while a hand-painted HPM version sold for $4,950 in 2024.