Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Punishment Is What We Wanted All Along”
Summary
A stark screen print in Cleon Peterson's signature flat black/white/red palette: two hulking, faceless police or uniformed officers flank a kneeling white-clad victim who is forced to clutch the rope of a hangman's noose dangling at center, one officer pointing accusingly while the other grips the victim. It is a characteristic Peterson indictment of state authority, capital punishment, and institutional brutality.
Why It Matters
The print compresses Peterson's central obsession—the abuse of power and the violence beneath the veneer of order—into a single, brutally legible image of authority figures administering a lynching. The mocking title implicates the viewer and society at large in the cruelty, turning a scene of execution into an accusation about complicity and the appetite for retribution. The reduction to silhouette, the blood-red ground, and the noose at dead center give it the cold, heraldic clarity Peterson borrows from Greek vase painting and propaganda graphics, making it one of his more pointed statements on policing and punishment.
Collector Perspective
A 2019 screen print from an edition of 28, hand-signed and numbered by Cleon Peterson. The small edition size makes it considerably scarcer than his common Obey-published runs of 200-450, placing it among his more limited, gallery-tier releases. Demand for Peterson is steady and driven by the directness of the imagery; police/punishment subjects with the full red palette tend to hold collector interest. As a tiny edition it trades infrequently, so price is set more by availability than by liquid comparable sales.
Historical Context
Made in 2019, at the height of Peterson's run of work confronting state power, policing, and punishment in the late-2010s American political climate. The flat, frieze-like composition and limited red/black/white scheme tie it to his ongoing translation of classical Greek conflict imagery into contemporary scenes of institutional violence, a vocabulary developed across his End of Empire and related bodies of work.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
Two large, faceless uniformed officers stand over a kneeling, white-clad figure and force the victim to hold the rope of a hangman's noose hanging at the center of the image—a scene of state-administered execution and institutional violence.
What is the edition size?
The edition is 28.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. As with Peterson's gallery editions, it is hand-signed and numbered by the artist.
What is the medium?
It is a hand-pulled screen print, executed in Peterson's signature flat black, white and red 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. He draws 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.