Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Park Ave (White)”
Summary
A stark black-and-silver interior scene in which six nude figures sprawl, crouch and convulse through a wrecked apartment littered with bottles, pills, playing cards and an open safe — Cleon Peterson's depiction of wealth's private rot, where money and excess curdle into dissipation and predation. It belongs to Peterson's signature body of high-contrast figurative prints exposing the brutality and decadence beneath polite power.
Why It Matters
Where much of Peterson's work stages public violence — mobs, beatings, executions in the street — "Park Ave" turns the lens inward on the private decadence of the moneyed class. The address itself is the indictment: behind the gold-plated facade of an elite "Park Avenue" interior, the figures are reduced to writhing, animalistic bodies amid scattered narcotics, an open safe and emptied bottles. Rendered in his flat, brushy black silhouettes against silver-white, it extends Peterson's central thesis — that power corrupts and civilization is a thin veneer over appetite — into the bedroom and drawing room of the wealthy rather than the public square.
Collector Perspective
A tight edition of just 26, this is the "White" colorway of a "Park Ave" pairing (Peterson frequently issues a work in contrasting light and dark variants). At 26 it is one of the scarcer Peterson screen prints by edition size, well below his more common 100–150 runs, which gives it appeal to collectors building a focused Peterson holding. Expect it to be hand-signed and numbered in pencil. As a smaller, less-circulated edition it trades less frequently than his marquee large-format prints, so secondary-market sightings are intermittent; condition and a clean, untrimmed deckle matter for value.
Historical Context
Park Ave (White)" is a 2020 screen print, made as Peterson was extending his vocabulary of power and conflict from street-level violence toward the interiors of wealth and institutional excess. By 2020 he was firmly established through gallery editions, museum-scale murals and his long-running collaborations with Shepard Fairey, working in the flat black/white/red/gold palette and Greek-vase-derived figuration that define his mature output. This print's restrained two-tone black-and-silver treatment is characteristic of the variant editions he released in this period.
FAQ
What does Park Ave (White) depict?
A wrecked, upscale interior in which six nude figures crouch, sprawl and convulse amid scattered pills, playing cards, liquor bottles and an open safe — a scene of wealthy excess and dissipation rendered in flat black silhouettes against silver-white.
What is the edition size?
The edition is 26 — a notably small run for Cleon Peterson, placing it among his scarcer screen prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
Peterson's screen-print editions are typically hand-signed and numbered in pencil by the artist. Buyers should confirm the pencil signature and numbering on the specific copy.
What is the medium, and is there another version?
It is a screen print. The '(White)' designation indicates it is the light colorway of a Park Ave pairing; Peterson commonly issues a work in contrasting light and dark variants.
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 in a flat black/white/red/gold palette. He draws on classical 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.