Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Collaborator (White)”
Summary
A stark vertical composition in Cleon Peterson's signature flat palette of red, black and bone-white: a nude red figure, hands bound or shackled overhead at the top of the sheet, looms behind a hulking black figure in a police-style cap who sits braced and holding a baton/staff. The image stages the relationship between a uniformed enforcer and a restrained, exposed victim — a concentrated meditation on coercion, complicity and state power that sits squarely within Peterson's ongoing examination of the abuse of authority.
Why It Matters
The Collaborator" distills the central preoccupation of Peterson's mature work — the brutality beneath civilized order — into a single, legible confrontation rather than the writhing mob scenes he is best known for. The pairing of a capped, baton-wielding figure with a bound, bleeding nude reads as an indictment of policing, torture and the bystanders who enable it, while the title points to the moral cowardice of collaboration with power. Reducing the drama to two interlocked bodies in red and black gives the print the iconographic punch of a protest poster or a classical relief, showing how Peterson compresses social commentary into graphic shorthand.
Collector Perspective
A 2019 hand-pulled screen print in an edition of just 24, hand-signed and dated in pencil lower right. At only 24 impressions this is one of Peterson's tighter print runs — well below the 100–200 runs typical of his more widely distributed releases — making it genuinely scarce on the secondary market and attractive to collectors building a focused Peterson holding. The "White" designation indicates the light-ground variant, usually issued alongside a darker companion edition. Interest in Peterson remains steady, anchored by his Shepard Fairey association and consistent gallery presence; small editions like this trade infrequently but hold value well.
Historical Context
Made in 2019, this print belongs to the period in which Peterson had fully consolidated his red/black/white visual language and his focus on power, policing and social violence — themes that resonated strongly amid heightened debate over state authority and protest in the late 2010s. Working out of Los Angeles and drawing on classical Greek vase painting, Hogarth's moralizing prints and street-art directness, Peterson used small screen-print editions like this to circulate pointed political imagery to a collector audience.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A bound, nude red figure with shackled hands raised overhead stands behind a seated, uniformed black figure wearing a police-style cap and gripping a baton or staff — a confrontation between an enforcer of authority and a restrained, exposed victim.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 24 impressions.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. Impressions are hand-signed and dated in pencil by Cleon Peterson, and editioned works in this run are numbered.
What is the medium?
It is a hand-pulled screen print on paper, in Peterson's flat red, black and white palette.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is a Los Angeles–based artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of violence, power and social conflict. 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.