Fucking Ace (2018) – David Shrigley Screenprint

About the Work

Fucking Ace (2018) is a striking David Shrigley screenprint that pairs the artist's signature deadpan humour with an arresting, saturated palette. Set against a deep, uniform blue background, the hand-drawn block letters are rendered in a sequence of contrasting hues, including vivid yellow, pale pink, and bright red. This typographic arrangement commands immediate attention, transforming a colloquial British exclamation into a monumental visual statement.

By utilising the profane yet celebratory British colloquialism of Fucking Ace as his sole subject, the artist elevates a fleeting moment of joy into an enduring piece of graphic art. The deliberate asymmetry of the hand-rendered text introduces a sense of vulnerability to the statement, offsetting its bold, profane optimism. Through this tension, the composition captures the nuance of human emotion, making the profane feel unexpectedly tender and celebratory.

David Shrigley

As a Turner Prize nominee and the mind behind the celebrated Fourth Plinth commission at Trafalgar Square, the artist has secured a unique position in contemporary British art. Frequently exhibiting at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, his works are held in prestigious international collections, including the Tate and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. This institutional validation underscores his influence on the contemporary art landscape.

While initially celebrated for his ink-on-paper drawings, translation into graphic editions has allowed these spontaneous gestures to achieve a grander scale. Acquiring a David Shrigley print offers a direct connection to this celebrated visual language, capturing the immediacy of his line within a refined medium. The transition from private notebook sketches to bold public editions remains central to his enduring market appeal.

Screenprint Process

Hand-pulled onto heavy Somerset tub sized 410gsm paper, the physical presence of the medium is immediate and tactile. This heavy cotton paper provides a robust substrate for the rich layers of ink, allowing the eight distinct colours to achieve a deep, matte intensity. The meticulous screenprinting technique ensures that each pigment remains crisp and separated, preserving the sharp boundaries of the block lettering.

This demanding process successfully replicates the flat, saturated colour fields of the artist's original gouache paintings while maintaining the character of his hand-drawn line. Produced in collaboration with Jealous Gallery, this David Shrigley limited edition print exemplifies the high production standards of contemporary British printmaking. The resulting graphic finish elevates the everyday quality of the text, giving the work a refined, authoritative weight.

Collectability

Text-based editions by the artist have consistently generated strong collector interest due to their instant recognisability and universal appeal. Within the secondary market, works featuring bold typography and cheerful profanity are particularly sought after. These compositions function as modern-day cultural touchstones, resonating with a wide demographic of art enthusiasts.

Representing a major colour work from his celebrated 2018 Jealous Gallery printmaking period, the piece remains a particularly desirable example of the artist's graphic practice. With an edition size of just 125, opportunities to acquire this specific release have become increasingly limited over time. This scarcity, combined with continued collector interest in his text-based compositions, ensures its prominent place within any contemporary print collection.

Artwork Specifications

• Artist: David Shrigley (British, b. 1968)
• Title: Fucking Ace
• Medium: 8 colour screenprint on Somerset tub sized 410gsm paper
• Dimensions: 76 x 56 cm
• Edition: Edition of 125
• Year: 2018
• Publisher: Counter Editions
• Markings: Signed, numbered and dated on the back
• Provenance: Sold with COA issued by Counter Editions