Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Stop The Virus (First Edition)”
Summary
A stark frontal portrait of an anguished, sweating man whose neck dissolves into the coiled black body of a serpent, his mouth and the snake bleeding bright red amid spatters of blood, captioned 'STOP THE VIRUS' above and 'LIES & DISINFORMATION ARE KILLING US' below. Made by Cleon Peterson in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it channels his flat black/white/red palette and serpent iconography into a pointed indictment of pandemic-era political deceit.
Why It Matters
The print captures Peterson working in real time as a political-protest artist, collapsing a public-health emergency and a crisis of truth into a single grotesque emblem: the lying mouth as a venomous, bleeding snake. It sits squarely within his career-long project of exposing the abuse of power and the brutality lurking beneath civilized order, here aimed at the misinformation that turned a virus deadlier. As a timestamped artifact of the 2020 pandemic moment, it carries documentary as well as artistic weight, and shows Peterson deploying his signature serpent-and-blood vocabulary toward direct, legible activism rather than allegory.
Collector Perspective
This is the First Edition screen print from 2020 in a tight edition of just 28 — a genuinely small run for Peterson, who more typically releases in the low hundreds. Peterson screen prints are normally hand-signed and numbered, and the scarcity of a 28-copy edition makes this a desirable, hard-to-source piece for completists and collectors of his political work. It is a topical, single-image protest print rather than part of a large series, so demand is driven by the strong graphic and the pandemic subject; verify signature and numbering and confirm whether a later/larger second edition exists, since the 'First Edition' designation is part of what gives this run its premium.
Historical Context
Released in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic and a parallel wave of misinformation gripped the United States, the work belongs to a body of overtly political prints Peterson produced during that period. The serpent — a recurring motif in his vocabulary of corruption and predation — and the blood-red accents are turned here toward the theme of deadly lies. The explicit 'LIES & DISINFORMATION ARE KILLING US' text aligns it with the protest-poster tradition Peterson shares with collaborators like Shepard Fairey, using a single arresting image plus blunt typography to deliver a message.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A sweating, contorted man's face whose neck becomes the coiled body of a black serpent; his mouth and the snake bleed bright red against blood-spatter, with the words 'STOP THE VIRUS' above and 'LIES & DISINFORMATION ARE KILLING US' below — a 2020 image equating pandemic-era lies with a deadly venomous bite.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 28 — a small run, making it relatively scarce among Cleon Peterson's prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
Peterson's screen prints in editions like this are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist; buyers should confirm the signature and edition number on the specific copy.
What is the medium and edition designation?
It is a screen print, designated the First Edition, produced in 2020.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast black, white and red scenes of violence, power and social conflict; he draws on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art and frequently collaborates 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.