SHEPARD FAIREY HEADLINES STREET ART SHOWCASE AT THE HAMPTONS FINE ART FAIR
Shepard Fairey brought one of the fair’s most recognizable names in contemporary street art to the 2026 Hamptons Fine Art Fair with a focused presentation that explored the lasting impact of politically engaged public art. Presented by One Art Space Tribeca and curated by MaryAnn Giella McCulloh, the exhibition paired works by Fairey with artists Al Diaz and Chuck Connelly, creating a cross-generational conversation about the evolution of street art, activism, and contemporary painting.
Best known for launching the OBEY campaign and creating the now-iconic Barack Obama “Hope” poster, Fairey has spent decades building a visual language that merges graphic design, propaganda aesthetics, and political commentary. His work continues to address issues including power, social justice, environmental awareness, and civic engagement while remaining instantly recognizable through bold color palettes and striking graphic compositions.
The Hamptons presentation reflected the breadth of Fairey’s practice, highlighting works that balanced visual impact with social messaging. According to organizers, the exhibition proved to be one of the strongest-performing presentations at the fair, with nearly all of the gallery’s exhibited works selling and the Shepard Fairey works selling out entirely during the event.
Joining Fairey were pioneering New York street artist Al Diaz, co-creator of the influential SAMO© project alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Neo-Expressionist painter Chuck Connelly. Rather than presenting three separate practices, the exhibition positioned the artists as part of a larger narrative tracing the evolution of urban visual culture—from graffiti and public interventions to contemporary gallery practice. Diaz’s text-based works transform familiar New York “Wet Paint” signs into conceptual statements, while Connelly’s expressive paintings provide an emotional counterpoint to Fairey’s graphic precision.
“One Art Space continues to support my work by having a showcase of pieces available and on view at the Hamptons Fine Art Fair,” said Shepard Fairey. “I aim to draw people in with the beauty of an image and leave them with a deeper message, and all of the works presented are a great example of that philosophy.”
Curator MaryAnn Giella McCulloh described the exhibition as a dialogue across generations of artists who have each reshaped visual culture in different ways, noting that the presentation explored where street art originated, how it has evolved, and where it continues to move today.
The exhibition attracted collectors and VIP guests throughout the opening, including Jean Shafiroff, Carmen D’Alessio, Donna Rubin, Rebecca Seawright, Rick Friedman, Ashley Medici, Cindy Lou Wakefield, Mei Fung, and MaryAnn Giella McCulloh.
Held annually in Southampton, the Hamptons Fine Art Fair has become one of the East Coast’s leading summer destinations for collectors, galleries, artists, and cultural figures. Within that setting, Fairey’s presentation reaffirmed the continued relevance of street art in contemporary culture—demonstrating how imagery first created for public walls continues to resonate within museums, galleries, and major international art fairs alike.
