Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Genocide (White)”
Summary
The Genocide (White) is a 2016 Cleon Peterson screen print depicting a two-tier scene of state violence: in the upper register, four standing armed figures in gold stand over a black ground, holding spears and a sword; in the lower register, a writhing heap of contorted gold and black bodies collapses across a white field, the victims of the killing above. It is a definitive statement of Peterson's recurring subject — organized power exterminating the helpless — rendered in his flat, classical-frieze visual language.
Why It Matters
The print distills Peterson's central thesis into one stark composition: the clean separation of the armed and standing from the slaughtered and prostrate makes the asymmetry of violence brutally legible. The two-register structure consciously echoes ancient Greek vase painting and battle friezes, lending the contemporary subject of mass killing a timeless, almost mythic inevitability. Stripped of color beyond gold, black and white, it reads as both a history painting and a warning, and stands among the strongest single images in Peterson's mid-2010s body of work on the abuse of power.
Collector Perspective
An edition of only 24 makes this one of the scarcer Peterson screen prints, well below his more common runs of 100-plus. As a hand-pulled screen print it would be signed and numbered by the artist in pencil (visible lower margin). The very small edition size and the directness of the imagery give it strong wall presence and collector appeal; expect it to surface infrequently on the secondary market relative to his larger editions. Condition of the margins and the gold ink is the main thing to watch, as flat metallic and solid black fields show handling easily.
Historical Context
Produced in 2016, at the height of Peterson's output exploring violence, authority and social conflict, The Genocide (White) belongs to the period in which his frieze-like compositions of aggressors and victims became his signature. The mid-2010s saw Peterson exhibiting widely and collaborating with Shepard Fairey, working through themes of empire, mob violence and the brutality beneath civilization. The white/gold colorway here is one of a small number of variant editions Peterson released of the composition.
FAQ
What does The Genocide (White) depict?
Two stacked registers: four standing armed figures in gold holding spears and a sword along the top, and beneath them a tangled pile of contorted, dying bodies, dramatizing organized power slaughtering the defenseless.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 24.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. As with Peterson's hand-pulled screen prints, it is signed and numbered by the artist in pencil in the lower margin.
What medium and series is it?
It is a screen print from 2016, part of Peterson's body of work on violence, power and social conflict; this is the white/gold colorway variant of the composition.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of violence and abuse of power in a flat black, white, red and gold palette, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art; he 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.