Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Collecting Bodies”
Summary
A dense, tangled brawl in which a row of solid-black aggressors seize, drag and stab a struggling cluster of pale white nude bodies, one assailant plunging a knife while a limp figure collapses to the ground. Set against Peterson's signature gray field, "Collecting Bodies" is a quintessential statement of his black-versus-white power dramas, in which the powerful overwhelm and dispose of the vulnerable.
Why It Matters
The print distills the central engine of Peterson's work: the brutal mechanics of domination rendered as a flat, friezelike scrum that owes as much to Greek vase painting and Hogarth as to street art. The restricted black/white/gray palette strips the scene of any narrative comfort, reducing conflict to pure mass and force. The title's chilling bureaucratic phrasing, "collecting bodies," frames atrocity as something tallied and administered, sharpening the social-critique edge that runs through Peterson's depictions of state, mob and abuse of power.
Collector Perspective
A 2017 screen print from a tight edition of 20, this is among the scarcer Peterson editions to surface and would be hand-signed and numbered in the standard manner for his fine-art releases. Its small run and the unmistakable, fully resolved Peterson composition make it more of a serious-collector piece than an entry-level decorative print. Demand for Peterson has been steady on the back of his Fairey collaborations and museum-scale murals; condition and clean margins on the raw gray stock matter to value.
Historical Context
Made in 2017, during the period when Peterson's reputation was consolidating around large-scale public works and gallery shows on themes of violence and societal collapse. The work belongs to his ongoing body of black-and-white conflict scenes that recast classical combat imagery as a commentary on contemporary power and cruelty. The era's political turbulence gives added charge to a composition about the strong systematically overpowering the weak.
FAQ
What does Collecting Bodies depict?
A compacted brawl in which black silhouetted figures grab, drag and knife a group of pale white nude bodies, one of which slumps lifeless to the floor, a stark allegory of the powerful destroying the vulnerable.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 20 impressions, making it one of Peterson's scarcer print releases.
Is the print signed and numbered?
Peterson's fine-art editions of this type are issued hand-signed and numbered by the artist.
What medium and year is it?
It is a screen print produced in 2017.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark black, white and red scenes of violence and power, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and 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.