AP Says Shepard Fairey's Obama is Copyright Infringement

Well here is an interesting twist to the now very famous and revered Obama portrait by Shepard Fairey. Associated Press says that Fairey infringed on their copyright - his street art inspired portrait of the President was lifted from an AP photo of Obama.
What do you think?


A poster of President Barack Obama, right, by artist Shepard Fairey is shown for comparison with this April 27, 2006 file photo of then-Sen. Barack Obama (on the left) by Associated Press photographer Manny Garcia at the National Press Club in Washington. Fairey has acknowledged, the poster is based on the AP photograph. (AP Photo/Manny Garcia/ Shepard Fairey)

Shepard Fairey

First a program on his work on Ovation and now an artist in the Smithsonian? I love the fact that Shepard Fairey is getting the recognition he deserves. His work is amazing and a treat to see on the streets of New York and Miami (and probably many other cities as well).

This article in today's New York Times however demonstrates how a street artist can achieve (and should achieve) the pinnacle of art recognition. HIs portrait of President Obama is now hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Congratulations and well deserved!

Shepard Fairey Arrested during Denver DNC

I think this might be old news but I just saw this on Artkrush:

Charleston native Shepard Fairey, receiving lots of attention for his Obama posters touting Hope and Progress, was arrested in Denver during the DNC convention, according to the Denver Westword News. Fairey was in the process of hanging posters advertising his gallery show when police in full riot gear approached him.

In a video interview with the website www.imeem.com, Fairey says that as the group tried to exit the other end of the alley, the police drew their guns. “Get on the fucking ground or we’re going to kick you in the fucking head!” Fairey quotes them as saying. The artists were thrown down, handcuffed and arrested, charged with “interference and posting unauthorized posters.”
Fairey and company spent seventeen hours in jail, first at the infamous “Gitmo on the Platte” warehouse the city set up for DNC protesters; also in the house were about 100 anarchists whom police had pepper-sprayed and arrested earlier that evening.


I am not sure that I understand the ferocity on the part of the police. This was not a violent action on the part of the artist. The tamping down of street artists sounds like censorship in my opinion.


I have some of Shepard's remnants in some of my photos and have one of his Andre The Giant stencils in my personal collection. (Not displayed on the www.CharleneWeisler.com website)