Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Marchers (Black)”
Summary
A gold-on-black screen print of six identical figures striding in lockstep across a horizontal frieze, each shouldering a long staff or pole like a weapon. The repeated, uniform marchers turn a crowd into a single advancing force, a distilled statement of Peterson's recurring concern with mobs, militarized power and the menace of the many moving as one.
Why It Matters
The Marchers compresses Peterson's signature vocabulary into its most economical form: no faces, no individuality, just the rhythm of bodies in motion toward something off-frame. By rendering the figures in gold against a void of black, he borrows directly from the silhouette logic of ancient Greek vase painting while staging a thoroughly modern image of marching ranks, militias and mobs. The piece reads as both ceremonial procession and threat, the exact ambiguity at the center of his work about how power organizes bodies and how easily a crowd becomes an army.
Collector Perspective
A tightly editioned screen print at just 13, placing it among Peterson's scarcest paper works and well below his typical edition runs. The gold-and-black two-color palette and clean processional composition make it one of the more graphically resolved and decorative pieces in his catalog, which broadens its appeal. As with his prints generally, expect it to be hand-signed and numbered in pencil; buyers should confirm the condition of the gold passages, which can show handling. With such a small edition, secondary-market supply is thin, so availability rather than demand tends to set the price.
Historical Context
Produced in 2016, during the period when Peterson's black/white/red/gold language was fully established and his profile was rising through gallery shows and his collaborations with Shepard Fairey. The marching-figure motif sits alongside his End of Empire and crowd works of the mid-2010s, in which classical frieze structure is used to comment on contemporary violence, authoritarianism and political tension. The 2016 date situates the image in a charged American election year, lending the ranks of anonymous marchers added political resonance.
FAQ
What does The Marchers (Black) depict?
Six identical gold figures striding in lockstep across a black field, each shouldering a long staff or pole like a weapon, forming a frieze-like procession of an anonymous, militarized crowd.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 13, making it one of Cleon Peterson's scarcest paper editions.
Is it signed and numbered?
Peterson's prints are typically hand-signed and numbered in pencil by the artist; buyers should request photos of the signature and numbering to confirm.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced in 2016 in Peterson's characteristic flat, high-contrast palette, here a two-color gold-on-black scheme.
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 drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and is a frequent Shepard Fairey collaborator.
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.