Existing comment:
Barack Obama born 1961
Born Honolulu, Hawaii
Shepard Fairey's Barack Obama "Hope" poster became the iconic campaign image for the first African American president of the United States. Early in 2007, the Los Angeles-based graphic designer and graffiti artist produced his first Obama portrait, with a stenciled face, visionary upward glance, and the caption "Progress." In this second version, Fairey repeated the heroic pose and patriotic color scheme, substituting the slogan "Hope." The artist's intention that the image be widely reproduced and "go viral" on the Internet exceeded his greatest expectations. The campaign sold 50,000 official posters; a San Francisco streetwear company produced T-shirts; grassroots organizations disseminated hundreds of thousands of stickers; and a free downloadable version generated countless repetitions. Although the reproduction rarely conveys the elegant surface patterning seen in this original collage, they forged an unprecedented and powerful icon for Barack Obama's historic campaign.
Shepard Fairey (born 1970)
Hand-finished collage, stencil, and acrylic on paper, 2008
Gift of the Heather and Tony Podesta Collection in honor of Mary K. Podesta
Note: The famous Shepard Fairey poster was unveiled that morning. |