Considered by the Institute of Contemporary Art of Boston as the most influential street artist of our time, Shepard Fairey (also known as Obey) has been acquired by some of the most important museum collections such as Victoria and Albert Museum of London or the MOMA in New York. From his beginnings in the 1990s, Shepard Fairey has always considered posters as a valuable art support. From May 7th to June 18th, the gallery Magda Danysz is presenting the first retrospective of his poster work.

With about 100 posters, the golden years of Shepard Fairey are presented here, from the first posters, like André the Giant has a posse to Obama’s one brought him international fame. These works bear his graphic signature, instantly recognizable, memorable for his frequent use of black, white and red.

For the first time in France, this exhibition is making it possible to discover the wide range of his work. These 100 works reflect the variety of Shepard Fairey’s aesthetics. They illustrate the richness in the artist’s sources of inspiration. Shepard Fairey makes reference to the Soviet propaganda, as well as to the psychedelic rock posters or the American cultural heritage. In his works, Shepard Fairey uses strong messages to make us think. His messages are often political, always committed and aim to demonstrate the all-power of the mass-media in our society by using their own code. From his manifesto written in 1990, Shepard Fairey said " The sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker ". Today, he continues this approach, even using his work as a platform of expression about what speaks to him most. From this perspective, he clearly shows his commitment through his now iconic portrait of Obama.

With the large quantity of posters that are presented, the exhibition draws up a totally new retrospective, as he is now considered a worldwide icon. For twenty years, he has never stopped renewing his work and surprising us by the variety of the subjects he presents.