Obey. E Pluribus Venom. The Art of Shepard Fairey.

'Fairey, a former skate rat from South Carolina, has become one of the most recognisable artists in America, bridging the gap between populist street works and blue-chip fine art with his agitprop murals and screen-print provocations.' --GQ Magazine - Men of the Year 2008

The red and blue stencilled portrait of President Elect Obama by street artist Shepard Fairey, which became the central image of the election campaign, has been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC for its collection. It is the first portrait of the new president to enter the national collection. --The Art Newspaper, 7th Jan 2009

What the panel said: This poster demostrates the power of communicating ideas and aspirations from grass-root level. Just as the presidential candidate's campaign speeches recaptured the lost art of oratory, so this poster breathed new life into a form that had lost its purpose. Fairey's poster came not from a marketing campaign, but as a self initiated fund raising campaign. --The artist Shepard Fairey has won the Brit Insurance Design Award 2009 for his iconic Obama campaign poster