Obey (Shepard Fairey), Not Great Men, silkscreen, 46x61 cm, 2013

Not Great Men is a silkscreen print by the American artist and street artist Shepard Fairey, also known as Obey.

He was inspired by the song of the same name by the group Gang of Four, whose songs often deal with themes dear to Obey, such as capitalism, consumption, exploitation and the obsession with power.

The writer therefore wants to take up the theme of the musical piece, which deals with the paradox between leadership and command: all too often men in government roles turn out to be manipulative and power-hungry. The subject is a clear denunciation of how contemporary society is too often led by those who 'are not great men'.

Indeed, the slogan Not Great Men stands out like a sentence at the top of the silkscreen, with the face of a man with a solemn expression in the centre, almost like a classical sculpture. 'Weak men never rule', Shepard Fairey adds to reiterate his protest. The silkscreen print is from 2013, is signed in the lower right-hand corner and is numbered in a limited edition of 450.