Shepard Fairey
“OBEY Long Playing Records”
Artist’s Proof • Signed
Screen Print on Cream Paper • 12.5″ × 12.5″
Hand-Signed in Pencil • Artist’s Proof (AP)
Black & Cream Colorway
What You Are Getting
An Artist’s Proof (AP) of Shepard Fairey’s “OBEY Long Playing Records” — one of his most beloved designs, rendered in a striking black and cream two-color palette. This 12.5″ × 12.5″ screen print features the iconic OBEY Records label design: bold block lettering reading “OBEY” across the top, “Long Playing” in elegant script across a tilted vinyl record bearing the OBEY star logo, “Records” in large flowing script below, with an “LP” badge, “HI-FIDELITY” banner, and “33⅓ RPM” badge along the bottom. The entire composition is surrounded by lavish Victorian scrollwork and acanthus leaf corner ornaments that reference the ornate craftsmanship of golden-age record label design. Hand-signed in pencil by Shepard Fairey in the lower right margin, with “AP” notation in pencil in the lower left.
Print Details
| Artist |
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, SC) |
| Title |
“OBEY Long Playing Records” (also known as “Obey Records”) |
| Medium |
Screen print on cream paper |
| Size |
12.5″ × 12.5″ (approximately 31.75 × 31.75 cm) |
| Edition |
Artist’s Proof (AP) |
| Signature |
Hand-signed in pencil by Shepard Fairey (lower right). “AP” notation in pencil (lower left). |
| Color Palette |
Black and cream — classic two-color design |
| Publisher |
Obey Giant • Los Angeles, California |
| Condition |
Excellent. Print is clean, ink rich and crisp, no damage. Please review all photos — they show the exact item you will receive. |
About the Work
“OBEY Long Playing Records” is one of Shepard Fairey’s most celebrated and enduringly popular designs — a print that sits squarely at the intersection of his two greatest passions: graphic design and music. The composition is a pitch-perfect pastiche of mid-century record label art, the kind of ornate, typographically rich design that graced the inner sleeves and center labels of LPs from the 1950s and ’60s. Every element is calibrated to evoke that era: the bold block lettering, the script typefaces, the tilted vinyl disc, the “HI-FIDELITY” banner with its directional arrows, the “33⅓ RPM” badge in its tidy circle.
But this isn’t nostalgia for its own sake. Fairey has always understood that the visual language of commercial design — record labels, packaging, advertising — is one of the most powerful and least examined forms of propaganda. The ornate Victorian scrollwork and acanthus leaf corner ornaments that frame this composition are borrowed from an era when graphic design conveyed authority through visual density and craftsmanship. By placing the word OBEY inside this framework, Fairey does what he’s done throughout his career: he takes the aesthetics of institutional authority and repurposes them for his own subversive ends. The result is an object that looks like it belongs in a dusty crate at a record swap — until you notice the OBEY star spinning on the turntable.
Music has been central to Fairey’s identity and practice since the beginning. He came of age in the punk and skateboarding scenes of the late 1980s, designed album covers and concert posters for bands ranging from the Black Eyed Peas to Led Zeppelin, and has spoken extensively about how record cover art shaped his visual sensibility. This print is his love letter to that tradition — to the idea that a 12-inch square of cardboard could be a work of art, a brand identity, and a cultural statement all at once. The black and cream palette strips the design down to pure graphic impact, making it feel both timeless and immediate.
Why This AP Matters
ARTIST’S PROOF • OUTSIDE NUMBERED EDITION
This print is designated AP (Artist’s Proof) — a designation reserved for impressions pulled outside the numbered edition, typically for the artist’s personal use, gallery placement, or sale through private channels. In fine art printmaking, APs are produced in much smaller quantities than the numbered run (industry standard is typically 10% of the edition or fewer). The “OBEY Records” design has been released in limited numbered editions that sold out immediately upon release, making these AP impressions among the rarest versions available.
AP impressions are identical in quality and printing to the numbered edition — they come from the same screens, the same ink runs, the same paper stock. The difference is scarcity and provenance. In the secondary market, APs consistently command a premium over their numbered counterparts because of their limited availability and their closer association with the artist’s personal archive.
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is one of the most influential artists of his generation. He emerged from the skateboarding and punk scenes of the late 1980s at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he created the “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” sticker campaign that evolved into the globally recognized OBEY GIANT phenomenon. His 2008 HOPE portrait of Barack Obama became one of the most iconic political images in American history and is held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Fairey’s work synthesizes influences from Russian Constructivism, propaganda art, skateboard graphics, and punk rock into a visual language that is instantly recognizable and deeply engaged with social and political issues. He has painted over 140 public murals worldwide, founded Studio Number One and OBEY Clothing, and maintains one of the most active print practices in contemporary art. His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Smithsonian, the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, among others.
What Is Included
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Shepard Fairey “OBEY Long Playing Records” screen print — Artist’s Proof (AP), 12.5″ × 12.5″ on cream paper
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Hand-signed in pencil by Shepard Fairey with AP notation
- Ships unframed, flat, with archival protection
Shipping
Ships flat with rigid backing and archival-quality protective materials. Tracking included, fully insured. International buyers welcome — customs fees may apply upon delivery.
From the same collection: We carry a wide selection of Shepard Fairey signed limited edition screen prints, as well as rare signed music collectibles, including authenticated signed guitars, vinyl, and displays. Search “Gauntlet Gallery” on eBay to browse the full selection.
GAUNTLET GALLERY
San Francisco • Authenticated Street Art and Music Memorabilia Since 2012
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Search “Gauntlet Gallery” on eBay to browse our full store
Questions? Message us anytime — happy to provide additional photos or details.
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Every artist has a story. Every fan has a memory.
This isn't just a guitar — it's a bridge between the artist's world and yours. Each piece in this collection has been subtly customized to reflect the unique aesthetic of the artist it represents — from tonal choices and finish details to design elements that echo their signature style and creative identity.
Whether it's the raw energy of a punk icon, the soulful elegance of a blues legend, or the bold experimentation of a modern visionary, these guitars capture something words alone can't — the feeling of the music that moved you.
What makes this piece special:
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🎨 Artist-Inspired Customization — Design elements tailored to reflect the artist's visual and musical identity
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✍️ Authentic Connection — Each guitar tells a story that resonates with the fans who lived it
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🔍 Curated with Care — Selected and verified by Gauntlet Gallery, specialists in authenticated music collectibles
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SHEPARD FAIREY
Few contemporary artists have bridged underground culture and institutional recognition as effectively as Shepard Fairey. Emerging from skate and punk subcultures with the original Obey Giant campaign, he built a visual language rooted in propaganda aesthetics, bold iconography, and political commentary.
What makes Fairey compelling for collectors isn’t just name recognition — it’s durability. His work sits at the intersection of activism, design, and pop culture. \
From the globally recognized Hope poster to decades of tightly controlled screenprint editions, he has demonstrated both cultural relevance and disciplined market structure.
Institutional validation from MoMA, the Smithsonian, and the V&A reinforces long-term credibility. Meanwhile, secondary market data shows consistent liquidity and steady appreciation across core prints.
For collectors, this is cultural equity with infrastructure behind it — not trend-driven volatility.
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