Monday, July 14, 2008

Shepard Fairey's Obama Painting for Charity Auction


The current bid is at $40,000.
From Russell Simmons Foundation: 
Shepard Fairey, the contemporary artist whose irreverent works have deconstructed the meaning and methods of propaganda, ironically became the creator of one of the most potent political images in recent history - the OBAMA "HOPE" poster. The image found such immediate resonance with Obama supporters that it became ubiquitous throughout the primary campaign and across the web.

Now, at the request of Russell Simmons, Shepard has donated one of three fine art versions of the poster to the charity auction, Art For Life, an annual event which benefits Simmons' Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation.

This piece is approximately 4 foot x 6 foot in size and is a mixed media stencil collage on cotton rag paper. This "HOPE" may be the only fine art piece of this image available to the public, and is one of only three in existence.

The Art For Life auction ends Tuesday, July 16 at noon. Then the online budding is closed and the highest bidders are invited to bid by phone during the live auction on July 19. Entering the online auction is the only way to enter the live auction. The online auction can be found here.

About Shepard Fairey:
Born in Charleston, South California in 1970, Shepard Fairey is a contemporary artist, graphic designer and illustrator who emerged from the skateboarding scene and became known initially for his "André the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign, which morphed into a multi-decade street art project called "OBEY" which redefined the reach and meaning of fine art in public spaces. Fairey graduated from Rhode Island School of Design in 1992 with a B.A. in illustration. Fairey created a series of posters supporting Barack Obama's candidacy for President in 2008, and he sits on the advisory board of Reaching to Embrace the Arts, a not-for-profit organization that provides art supplies to disadvantaged schools and students. Shepard Fairey currently resides in Los Angeles, California where he helms the design and branding company Studio Number One.

For more information please visit http://www.obeygiant.com

More posters and Obama art.