Political Power?

It has been said the Shepard Fairey is destined to be the new Andy Warhol as a pop cultural icon. Fairey has enjoyed overnight fame with his Obama campaign posters which are now being snapped up by collectors. His signed limited edition Obama posters, which Fairey issued almost weekly during the campaign and sold for $45, now fetch thousands on eBay. For example, a stencilled "Hope" poster sold for $60,000. His posters now hang in the Smithsonian and his images have graced the cover of Time and Esquire.

Fairey's posters look like a cross between Soviet propaganda and a Warhol silkscreen. During the inauguration thousands of spectators snapped up the Obama images. Fairey said, "I don't do any of it for the money." The key benefit was to support his man to get to the White House.

It seems fitting that Obama's reliance on democratic, grassroots organization and communication is now best immortalized by a street artist. The Fairey images go beyond likeness to become an expression of the shared conviction between new leader and those he has inspired.

Shepard Fairey's innovative website Obeygiant can be perused here. The site has a slogan, "Manufacturing quality dissent since 1989 with propaganda engineering."

Recently Fairey created an image for Google for Martin Luther King Day on January 19. Also he designed new shopping bags and billboards for Saks Fifth Avenue and their "Want It" campaign for the spring. His distinctive constructivist art style is seen here:Any thoughts about Shepard Fairey's iconic style? Why is it receiving enthusiastic attention?