Art World Shocker: Shepard Fairey Bites
Although it’s not really “news” that wheat pasting artist turned corporate designer Shepard Fairey has created a career around stealing imagery and re-appropriating it as his own, these guys do a good job of breaking down each transgression. They describe how, in each instance, the designs lack any of that weighty political philosophy you’d expect from a guy with a manifesto using big words like “Phenomenology.” Plus, they explain why the most overused Picasso cliché, a fav among Obey devotees, doesn’t even come close to holding water:
Some supporters of Shepard Fairey like to toss around a long misunderstand quote by Pablo Picasso, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Aside from the ridiculous comparison of Fairey to Picasso, there's little doubt that Picasso was referring to the “stealing” of aesthetic flourishes and stylings practiced by master artists, and not simply carting off their works and putting his signature to them.
They also note is lack of actual art making when it comes to tracing his designs:
A last ditch defense used by Fairey groupies is to acknowledge that their champion does indeed “borrow” the works of other artists both living and deceased, but it is argued that the plundered works are all in the “public domain”, and therefore the rights of artists have not been violated. There are those who say that artists should have the right to alter and otherwise modify already existing works in order to produce new ones or to make pertinent statements. Despite some reservations I generally agree with that viewpoint – provided that such a process is completely transparent. However, I am outraged that anyone could make a career out of the consistent, secretive and wholesale copying of other people's artworks. Fairey has habitually used, without permission, the works of other artists, both living and deceased. To have created one or two works in such a manner is perhaps forgivable, especially if there was no money involved, but Fairey has developed a profitable livelihood exclusively based on pilfering the artworks of others.
Next thing ya know, he’s going to jump ship on the art world and start designing track bikes, oh wait, ugh!
[Source]
p December 5, 2007 at 11:21 pm
be nice if we could get a link to the article you’re quoting
momtoldme December 6, 2007 at 2:40 am
COMPLEX MNGMT. December 6, 2007 at 9:23 am
P: Thanks for the head ups, fixed. Don’t know how that was overlooked.
admonkey December 8, 2007 at 11:30 am
Mark Vallen is simply trying to jumpstart his go-nowhere career by bashing someone who actually HAS one. It’s a time-honored tradition among the second-rate and failing. The fact that he passed out literature– including HIS OWN ART– amongst those standing in line at Fairey’s show ought to tell you he’s simply an opportunist out to raise his own profile. If he were truly interested in constructive dialogue he would have picked up the phone and made the local call to Fairey to ask him about it. Then, if he wasn’t satisfied with the answers– or at least wanted to include them– he could have offered up the other side of the coin. Instead, he posted a shrill call of “Look at Me!” in hopes of selling a few more canvases of his Jr. High caliber artwork. Pretty sad, really.
Kevin January 25, 2008 at 9:39 am
Obviously written by a failing artist. That’s too bad, still a coffee jockey at starbucks, mark? The only people that whine like this are those that are not making a decent living in art and wish that they were.
anger February 29, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Mark Vallen is a hack.
Sean S. April 1, 2008 at 11:36 am
The funny thing, all the comments above have been copied and pasted across numerous blogs about this controversy. Evidently even his supporters can’t write original statements.
toopuck April 15, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Appropriate that Sean pulled his thumb out of his ass to write his comment on April Fool’s Day.
Aren’t you too busy plotting the overthrow of democratic governments over chai lattes while complaining about being poor and struggling to surf the web?
How’s your trust fund holding up?
Vorx August 31, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I don’t think the intention for that articles matters one way or the other. Regardless of Vallen’s intention it is obvious that Shepard Fairey has indeed stolen the art of others and DOES play ignorance when called out on it. He has actually walked out of interviews with given those tough questions from what I’ve read. So if anyone is a hack Shepard is! I won’t buy the new Smashing Pumpkins album just because Shepard did the art for it. I also now question the intentions of Billy Corgan for involving himself with a hack like Shepard Fairey. How can Shepard get upset that people are using his Obama image for their own ‘art’ when he has made a career out of borrowing ideas and images?
Vat September 22, 2008 at 11:00 am
Admonkey, Fairey does not always pick up his phone or answer his email as this art writer and critic points out. The guy contacted Fairey in 2007 and off and on during 2008 just to get a run around and no real response. I don’t think Fairey wants to answer for his crimes while he is riding the Obama wave or he would not avoid that interview. See below.
http://www.myartspace.com/blog/2008/09/obamas-obedient-artist-is-shepard.html
Vat September 22, 2008 at 11:07 am
Fairey does contradict himself often. One moment he says his work is 100% original and the next he admits stealing images only after he is exposed. He then says he wants to give political artist from the past props but does not inform people about them or the images he ripped from until after he is exposed. He claims that anyone who questions his work is just jealous or that they should not question him because he has made so much money for charity. He hides behind charity! He gets made when his message is exploited by Walmart and other companies but he does not mind stealing from other artists with a message. He gets mad when people make a profit selling his prints because it violates his message, but he does not care if he violates the message of other artists. He is a hack radical, a hack artist, and he follows hack politics. Obama steals from obscure speeches without giving credit and Fairey steals from obscure works of art without giving credit. Match made in heaven.