Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Practice Intolerance”
Summary
A stark screen print depicting a white-robed, hooded Klan-like figure hanging lifeless by the neck from a wooden pole against a churning black-and-red field, with the bitterly ironic title "PRACTICE INTOLERANCE" banded across the bottom. The image turns Cleon Peterson's flat black/white/red language onto American racism itself, staging the death of the bigot as a blunt moral reckoning.
Why It Matters
Most of Peterson's work shows anonymous figures perpetrating violence; here the violence is visited upon the hooded oppressor, and the sarcastic title inverts the slogan of the intolerant into an indictment of them. The lynched white hood reads as a direct confrontation with the iconography of American white supremacy, making this one of Peterson's more pointedly political and legible images. Released in 2020 amid a year of racial-justice protest in the United States, it lands as a piece of moral signage as much as fine art, distilling his career-long theme of the abuse of power into a single charged emblem.
Collector Perspective
A small screen-printed edition of only 28, typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, which puts it well below the run sizes of Peterson's wider gallery and collaborative editions. The minimal three-color palette and unmistakable subject make it visually strong on a wall and easy to place, but the tiny edition and provocative content narrow the buyer pool. For collectors it sits as a scarce, politically charged Peterson screen print from his 2020 output rather than a flagship work; condition, signature, and full numbering are the main value drivers.
Historical Context
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) built his reputation on flat, high-contrast scenes of fighting, clubbing and writhing bodies that expose the brutality beneath civilization, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art. Practice Intolerance dates to 2020, a year defined in the U.S. by mass protest over racial injustice, and belongs to the more overtly political register of his screen-print output, where the recurring abuse-of-power theme is aimed squarely at American racism and the imagery of the Klan.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A white-robed, hooded Klan-like figure hanging dead by the neck from a wooden pole, set against a turbulent black-and-red background, with the ironic title 'PRACTICE INTOLERANCE' across the bottom.
What is the edition size?
The edition is just 28, making it a scarce screen print within Cleon Peterson's catalog.
Is it signed and numbered?
Editions of this kind are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist; buyers should confirm the signature and numbering on the specific impression.
What medium and year is it?
It is a screen print (silkscreen) from 2020, 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 black/white/red/gold scenes of violence, power and social conflict, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and a frequent collaborator of 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.