Shepard Fairey War By Numbers Letterpress 2024 Signed /450 Deckled Verisart COA

SHEPARD FAIREY — “WAR BY NUMBERS” LETTERPRESS
2024 | Signed & Numbered Edition of 450 | Hand-Deckled Cotton Paper | Verisart COA

One of Shepard Fairey’s most haunting anti-war images receives an unusually tactile treatment in this 2024 letterpress edition of War By Numbers.

The imagery is deceptively beautiful.

A young girl bows her head toward a red rose while holding a hand grenade. Above her, four military aircraft pass overhead. Her expression is serene and almost tender, creating an immediate visual contradiction between childhood innocence, beauty and violence.

The grenade initially reads almost like a toy.

The rose almost reads like a gift.

Then the viewer recognizes the weapon in her hands, and the entire composition changes.

That contradiction is the core of the work.

Fairey has explained that the image was designed to question how warfare can become so normalized that even lethal violence begins to feel routine—something processed almost mechanically, like a paint-by-numbers exercise. The girl’s nearly closed eyes, delicate posture and proximity to the weapon are intentionally disturbing because they collapse the distance between innocence and destruction.

A portion of proceeds from the original edition benefited Doctors Without Borders, further grounding the work in the real human consequences of armed conflict.

The Letterpress Format

This is not a standard 18 x 24 Fairey screenprint.

The letterpress edition measures approximately 15.25 x 20.5 inches, making it more intimate in scale.

It was printed on cream cotton paper with hand-deckled edges, giving the work substantial physical character. The paper has visible texture and presence, and the printing process creates a subtle dimensional impression that is difficult to appreciate in photographs.

The combination of cotton stock, deckled edges and relief printing pushes the work closer toward traditional printmaking than Fairey’s conventional poster-oriented editions.

That tactile quality is precisely why these letterpress editions display so beautifully in floating frames or simple museum-style presentations.

Visual Presence

The palette is restrained but powerful:

• deep black
• warm gold
• saturated red
• natural cream paper

The girl’s hair and bow create a strong circular rhythm around her face, while the grenade and rose form the emotional center of the composition.

The planes in the upper-right corner provide visual distance and narrative context without overwhelming the figure.

It is simultaneously beautiful and unsettling.

That duality allows it to work in sophisticated interiors where a conventional political poster might feel too literal.

It is especially effective in:

• studies
• libraries
• bedrooms
• intimate entryways
• modern offices
• gallery walls
• contemporary living spaces

Because the sheet is smaller than a standard Fairey 18 x 24, it works extremely well as a focused statement piece rather than dominating an entire wall.

Edition Details

• Artist: Shepard Fairey
• Title: War By Numbers Letterpress
• Year: 2024
• Medium: Letterpress
• Size: approximately 15.25 x 20.5 inches
• Paper: Cream cotton
• Edges: Hand-deckled
• Edition: 450
• Signed: Yes, by Shepard Fairey
• Numbered: Yes
• Publishing mark: OBEY publishing chop
• COA: Digital Verisart Certificate of Authenticity
• Original retail: $100
• Status: Sold out

Official OBEY records confirm these specifications.

Why Collectors Care

War By Numbers is one of those Fairey compositions that functions on several levels simultaneously.

It is graphic enough to be immediately recognizable as an OBEY work.

It is beautiful enough to live comfortably in a designed interior.

And its underlying message is dark enough that it never becomes merely decorative.

The letterpress format strengthens the collectible argument further because it gives the work a physicality and craftsmanship different from standard screenprint editions.

For collectors interested in Fairey’s anti-war imagery, political printmaking, contemporary propaganda aesthetics or fine-art letterpress, this edition offers an especially compelling balance between imagery, technique and historical context.

ABOUT GAUNTLET GALLERY
Gauntlet Gallery specializes in authenticated and carefully researched street art, contemporary art, music collectibles and culturally significant editions. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, the gallery focuses on provenance, transparency and collector education.

SHIPPING
Artwork will be carefully protected and professionally packed for shipment. Please review all photographs closely, as images form part of the condition description. Insurance and tracking are included where applicable.