Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “It's Mine”
Summary
A black-silhouetted colossus looms behind a chained, golden globe, arms spread wide as white marionette strings descend from its hands to small splayed human figures arranged below — a stark allegory of a single power dominating and puppeteering the world. It distills Cleon Peterson's signature subject, the abuse of authority, into a flat black/white/gold composition built on his classical, frieze-like symmetry.
Why It Matters
It's Mine" is one of Peterson's most legible statements of his central thesis: that civilization is governed by domination, with the many controlled like puppets by the few. The puppet-master-over-the-globe motif, barbed chains binding the continents, and the powerless figures wrenched into spread-eagled poses turn an abstract critique of power into a single readable icon. Its mirror-image symmetry and emblematic clarity tie it to his interest in Greek vase painting and propaganda design, where a composition is meant to be grasped instantly and remembered as a symbol.
Collector Perspective
A 2021 screen print in a tight edition of 36, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. The small run places it among Peterson's scarcer editioned prints rather than his larger open or 100-plus runs, which supports stronger long-term desirability. The high-contrast black-and-gold palette and globe-and-strings imagery make it one of the more graphically striking and on-message works in his catalog — a focused single-image statement rather than a mass-market poster. Realistic positioning: a sought-after mid-edition Peterson with limited supply, best valued against comparable small-edition screen prints from the same period.
Historical Context
Made in 2021, this print sits within Cleon Peterson's mature period, after his rise through gallery shows and high-profile Shepard Fairey collaborations established his flat, violent, propaganda-inflected visual language. The globe-domination and puppet-strings subject reflects the political anxieties of the era — concentrated power, global control, and populations rendered powerless — themes that recur across his power-and-authority and End of Empire works. Like much of his output, it draws formally on Greek black-figure vase painting and the moralizing satire of Hogarth, rendered in a modern street-art idiom.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A large black silhouetted figure stands behind a chained golden globe with arms outstretched, controlling smaller white human figures below by marionette strings running from its hands — an allegory of one power dominating and puppeteering the world.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 36.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes — works in this edition are hand-signed and numbered by Cleon Peterson.
What is the medium and year?
It is a screen print produced in 2021.
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, 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.