Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Never Win, Never Lose (White)”
Summary
A stark screen print rendering two interlocked figures in Cleon Peterson's signature flat palette — here a restrained black, white and gold scheme — where a masked black figure raises a club to strike a kneeling, contorted gold figure caught mid-struggle. The composition collapses aggressor and victim into a single writhing knot, distilling Peterson's career-long preoccupation with the cyclical, no-win brutality of power into one tightly wound emblem.
Why It Matters
The image crystallizes Peterson's core thesis: violence as an endless, self-defeating loop in which winner and loser are indistinguishable. The title "Never Win, Never Lose" reinforces what the tangled bodies show visually — a deadlock with no victor. Stripping his usual blood-red down to gold and black gives the print a cooler, almost classical-relief gravity, echoing the Greek vase-painting and Hogarthian sources Peterson draws on while keeping the flat, graphic punch that made his work resonate in the street-art and contemporary print worlds.
Collector Perspective
A small edition of just 24, which places it among Peterson's scarcer screen-print releases — most of his prints run larger, so this tight run is a meaningful point in its favor. Expect it to be hand-signed and numbered in pencil in the lower margin (a faint signature is visible at lower right), as is standard for his editioned prints. As a 2022 single-colorway screen print in the "white" variant, it sits in the mid-tier of his market: desirable for the low edition and clean two-figure composition, but without the collaboration premium of his Shepard Fairey joint releases. Condition of the wide deckled margins matters for resale.
Historical Context
Produced in 2022, this print comes from Peterson's mature period, well after his breakout 2010s exhibitions established him as a leading voice rendering contemporary violence in a deliberately ancient, vase-painting idiom. By this point his vocabulary of clubbing, grappling and masked aggressors was fully formed, and works like this one function as concentrated, two-figure restatements of themes he earlier deployed across crowded mob scenes. The gold-and-black colorway connects to his recurring use of gilded tones to evoke decadence and empire.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
Two interlocked figures locked in violence — a masked black figure raising a club over a kneeling, twisting gold figure. Their bodies fuse into a single knotted form, illustrating the title's idea of a fight with no winner and no loser.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 24.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. Like Peterson's other editioned screen prints, it is hand-signed and numbered in pencil in the lower margin; a signature is visible at the lower right.
What medium and series is this?
It is a screen print from 2022, issued in the 'white' colorway and rendered in Peterson's flat black-and-gold palette.
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 drawn from Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art. He 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.