Shepard Fairey, Obama 'Hope' Portrait Artist, Guilty of Graffiti

by Tina Kells | July 10, 2009 at 04:40 pm

861 views | 20 Recommendations | 11 comments

Shepard Fairey, 39, the artist who created the red, white, and blue 'Hope' portrait of President Barack Obama has plead guilty to graffiti in Boston. While in Boston to launch his first solo exhibit at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art, Fairey defaced public property in a variety of locations.

The defacement was actually unauthorized placement of posters and stickers on public property; Shepard Fairey plead guilty to three charges that consisted of hanging a poster on an electrical box, and placing stickers on traffic signs. 11 other charges against Shepard Fairey were dismissed.

Shepard Fairey will pay $2,000 in graffiti clean up fines and must issue a public apology to the people of Boston. He also faces 2 years probation which will require him to notify police whenever he is in Boston.

Shepard Fairey, a Los Angeles artist whose "Hope" image of Obama hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, was arrested in February while traveling to Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art to kickoff his first solo exhibition.

Police accused the 39-year-old of damaging property with graffiti in several city locations.

Fairey pleaded guilty to one count of defacing property for placing a poster on an electrical box in 2000 and to two counts of destruction of property in 2009 for placing a sticker on a traffic sign and affixing a poster to a condominium.

Eleven charges were dismissed.

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illyanadmc

at 17:20 on July 10th, 2009

street art by shepard fairey, invader, and others. paris, france

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atrphoto

at 17:54 on July 10th, 2009

captivating work

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Art de Rivers

at 18:29 on July 10th, 2009

Ahhhhhhh the price of fame ....

Go to court and play the game

Pay your fine for art

And let loose the greenbacked colour of fame ..

stencilhistoryx

at 22:54 on July 10th, 2009

Please note the author of the stencil on the front : Evol from Berlin, Germany
thanks

samantha

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teknaut

at 22:54 on July 10th, 2009

that was a very beautiful exhibition and Shepard Fairey is a great artist, that it understands current topics in its works to merge

OBEY - Shepard Fairey
"Print Retrospective 1997 - 2009"

Merry Karnowsky Gallery
Torstr. 175
10115 Berlin - Mitte
www.MKGALLERY.com

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jgmundie

at 06:47 on July 11th, 2009

In recent interviews the first thing Fairey does is mention how many times he's been arrested, so now he's got another notch for his street cred. I like his work, but the constant need to pretend he's still an underground phenom is a bit rich. I mean, when I get an email from MoveOn.org advertising a new clean energy sticker Fairey has designed, he's quite firmly entrenched in the mainstream and should just get over it.

Seannie Cameras

at 11:25 on July 11th, 2009

Shepard Fairey came to town this January for the well-publicized, media extravaganza known as the Inauguration, in association with the ever-famous Irvine Gallery was allowed to go around to 10+ spots around the city and put up his iconography...Some of the posters are hard to photograph, are in construction sites, just like this one...For months you couldnt get close to it, because there was a chain link fence/barbwire combo blocking would-be photographers like myself from getting a decent shot...One day, the gate was left open, and I had my moment...I love this image so much, I was able to go back a week later and film a verse for a music video I'm working on called, "No Love" off of the J-Scrilla "Culture of Honor" album...If you are in or around the area, this piece is located on Georgia Avenue, a couple block from the Green Line/Petworth Metro stop, across from the Safeway...

-SC-

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gabspower

at 21:38 on July 12th, 2009

_"Rabbit is the new beef" Rem Koolhaas
_ok, shut up gabs!

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seitsemän

at 07:26 on July 13th, 2009

I love his art.

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Patricia Turo

at 22:39 on July 13th, 2009

Defacing public property is against the law. He is subject to the law like anyone else. He can get approval from local authorities if he wants to post his work. This cost communities taxpayers money and not everyone appreciates posters on public property. But getting approval doesn't bring as much notice. I love art but I want to chose what I view and don't want it to be forced on me. I think his work is wonderful but I think his should respect other people's property.