Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Junky (Red)”
Summary
Junky (Red) depicts a claustrophobic interior strewn with sprawled, drugged-out figures rendered in Cleon Peterson's signature flat silhouette style: bodies collapse and writhe across the floor amid a dead television, scattered bottles, syringes and an overturned lamp, while a standing figure looms over a kneeling one in a posture of menace. It is a stark, scaled-down domestic scene of addiction and degradation, translating Peterson's usual mythic-violent street tableaux into a single squalid room.
Why It Matters
The print is significant as one of Peterson's most explicitly domestic and intimate works, trading his crowds and battlefields for a single drug den that distills his core theme — the brutality beneath the surface of ordinary life — into a confined, voyeuristic space. The drastic two-tone palette of blood red on black, the high-contrast cutout figures, and the clutter of paraphernalia (the dead TV, the toppled lamp, the bottles and needles) make the work read as both a contemporary tableau and a debauched modern echo of Hogarth's morality scenes, a lineage Peterson openly draws on. It captures addiction not as spectacle but as a quiet collapse of bodies and order.
Collector Perspective
A 2015 screen print in a very small edition of only 20, hand-signed and numbered by the artist (per standard practice for Peterson's limited editions of this period). The tiny run places it well below his more common 100–300 edition prints, making it materially harder to source on the secondary market. As an early, small-edition, single-color (red/black) image from the years when Peterson's market was rapidly building, it sits in a desirable niche for collectors who want scarcity over image size; condition and clean margins matter given the saturated black ink. No pricing or auction data is asserted here — verify against current comps.
Historical Context
Made in 2015, during the period when Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) was consolidating his international reputation with high-contrast black/white/red work and major museum and gallery exhibitions. The mid-2010s saw him expand from gallery painting into a steady stream of screen-printed editions, often in stark two- and three-color schemes, while developing the violent, power-and-conflict iconography drawn from Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art that defines his catalog. Junky belongs to this run of intimate, narrative-driven editions that sit alongside his larger mob and battle scenes.
FAQ
What does Junky (Red) depict?
A cramped, trashed interior filled with collapsed and writhing figures rendered as flat red silhouettes against black: bodies sprawl across the floor amid a dead television, an overturned lamp, scattered bottles and drug paraphernalia, while one standing figure looms over a kneeling one. It is a scene of addiction and degradation.
How large is the edition?
The edition is just 20, a very small run that makes the print scarce relative to Peterson's more common editions of 100 or more.
Is the print signed and numbered?
Yes. Like Peterson's other limited-edition screen prints of this period, it was hand-signed and numbered by the artist; always confirm the signature and number on the specific impression.
What is the medium and year?
It is a screen print (silkscreen) made in 2015, printed in Peterson's stark red-on-black palette.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of violence, power and social conflict in flat black, white, red and gold. He draws on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and is a frequent collaborator with Shepard Fairey.
Related Works
About the Artist
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of violence, power and social conflict, rendered in a flat, limited palette of black, white, red and gold. His chaotic compositions of fighting, clubbing and writhing figures expose the abuse of power and the brutality beneath civilization’s surface, drawing on classical Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art. A frequent collaborator with Shepard Fairey, he shows internationally; his prints, sculptures and editions are widely collected in the urban-contemporary market.
Collecting Cleon Peterson at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic Cleon Peterson prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of Cleon Peterson prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new Cleon Peterson prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across Cleon Peterson and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.