Shepard Fairey (Obey)

1970 -

Born in 1970 in Charleston, South Carolina, and emerging out of the local skateboarding scene, Shepard Fairey eventually studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design. His sticker depictions of the professional wrestler André the Giant, which he created while at RISD, evolved into his well-known “Obey Giant” campaign. He achieved worldwide fame during the 2008 U.S.  presidential campaign with his HOPE poster in support of Democratic nominee Barack Obama, which became a brand or icon of the ultimately victorious Obama campaign. The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston regards him as one of the best-known and most influential street art practitioners in America today.