Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Ostrich”
Summary
A circular tondo packed with a repeating grid of stylized gold frogs, each rendered frontally with arms raised and hands clamped over its head, a small inscribed banner across its eyes, set against flat black with a black/gold/white palette. The Ostrich uses Peterson's hard-edged, heraldic vocabulary to stage a "see no evil / hear no evil" image of collective denial and looking away from power and its abuses.
Why It Matters
It is a strong example of Peterson translating his usual themes of authority, complicity and moral failure into pure pattern and symbol rather than his signature brawling figures. The title's head-in-the-sand metaphor, the multiplied identical creatures covering their senses, and the gold-on-black emblematic treatment turn a single repeated motif into a pointed comment on willful blindness and crowd-level denial — making it one of his more graphically distilled, decorative-yet-political prints.
Collector Perspective
A 2020 screen print in a tight edition of 36, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. The small edition size puts it well below Peterson's larger open-leaning runs and makes it materially harder to find on the secondary market than his more common editions. As a bold, high-impact, single-image tondo it has strong wall presence; demand for Peterson remains steady, driven partly by his Shepard Fairey association, though this graphic, frog-motif image sits somewhat apart from the violent figurative work most associated with his name.
Historical Context
Produced in 2020, during a period when Peterson's print output leaned heavily on themes of power, denial and social breakdown. The Ostrich extends his long-running interest in complicity and looking away — recurring across his power-and-authority and morality work — by reducing the idea to a repeated emblematic creature rather than narrative combat, a more pattern-driven mode he used in several editions of this era.
FAQ
What does The Ostrich depict?
A black circular field filled with a repeating grid of identical gold frogs, each facing forward with arms raised and hands over its head and a small inscribed banner across its eyes — a stylized image of covering one's senses, i.e. denial and looking away, echoing the title's head-in-the-sand idea.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 36.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. Like Peterson's editioned prints, it is hand-signed and numbered by the artist.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced in 2020, using Peterson's flat black, gold and white palette.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of power, violence and social conflict in a flat black/white/red/gold palette, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and 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.