New works from the famed street artist whose bold designs have defined a generation of political iconography

For the past 30 years, Shepard Fairey has been using art and graphic design as a means of social interrogation. Drawing from graffiti tradition, Fairey employs a distinctive combination of stylized imagery and impactful typography to address a wide range of social and political themes such as anti-violence, racial and gender equality, and environmental protection. Designed specifically for the Gallery of Modern Art in Rome, Italy, this collection presents 30 new works, also placing Fairey's body of work in conversation with the artist's own selections from the contemporary art collection at the Capitoline Superintendency. Through this careful curation, readers are able to appreciate Fairey's ability to hone in on imagery that is both topical and timeless, resulting in pieces that inform the public discourse as much as they are inspired by it.

About the artist

SHEPARD FAIREY

United States

Frank Shepard Fairey, born February 15, 1970, is an American contemporary street artist, graphic designer, activist, illustrator and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. He first became known for his "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign while attending the Rhode Island School of Design, which appropriated images from the comedic supermarket tabloid Weekly World News. He became widely known during the 2008 U.S. presidential election for his Barack Obama "Hope" poster. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists. His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.