Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Headless Man (2024) (Black & Gold)”
Summary
Headless Man (2024) renders, in Cleon Peterson's signature flat metallic-gold-on-black palette, a hulking gold figure straddling and crushing two prone, tangled bodies beneath him while one of the fallen figures appears decapitated, its severed head clutched in the standing aggressor's raised fist. It is a distilled image of domination and brutal execution that sits squarely within Peterson's ongoing investigation of power, cruelty, and the violence underpinning the social order.
Why It Matters
The print compresses Peterson's central thesis — that civilization is a thin veneer over predatory force — into a single, almost heraldic confrontation. Stripped of color except for black and gold, it reads like a coin, an emblem, or a fragment of a Greek vase, deliberately monumentalizing an act of slaughter. The decapitation motif and the victor standing over the vanquished tie this work to Peterson's long lineage of antiquity-inflected imagery (warriors, tyrants, End of Empire iconography), making it a strong, legible example of his aesthetic at its most reduced and direct.
Collector Perspective
This is a tightly editioned screen print, limited to just 24 impressions, which places it among the scarcer Cleon Peterson editions on the market — far smaller than his typical runs of 100 or more. The example shown is hand-signed and numbered in pencil in the lower margin (visible here as a low fraction at lower left and the artist's signature at lower right), which is standard and expected for this kind of release. The black-and-gold colorway is part of a paired/variant release, and the metallic-on-black versions tend to carry a premium for their visual impact. At this edition size it is a collector-grade piece rather than an entry-level open print; appeal is strongest among buyers who already follow Peterson and value the smaller, more deluxe variant runs.
Historical Context
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) emerged from skate and street-art culture and built an international reputation in the 2010s for stark scenes of mob violence, abuse of power, and social collapse rendered in a flat, high-contrast graphic language drawn from Greek vase painting, Hogarth, and propaganda art. By 2024, the year of this print, he was a well-established figure with global gallery representation and a frequent collaborator of Shepard Fairey. Headless Man belongs to his continued output of small-edition screen prints that translate his large paintings and antiquity-derived motifs into reduced two-color compositions.
FAQ
What does Headless Man (2024) depict?
A large gold figure stands astride two fallen, intertwined bodies, dominating and crushing them; one victim appears decapitated, with the standing figure gripping a severed head in his raised hand. It is an image of domination, execution, and the abuse of power, a recurring theme in Cleon Peterson's work.
How many were made?
The edition is limited to 24 impressions, making it one of the scarcer Cleon Peterson editions.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. This release is hand-signed and numbered by the artist in pencil in the lower margin, as is standard for his editions.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, here produced in a black-and-gold (metallic gold on black) colorway.
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. He draws on Greek vase painting, Hogarth, and street art, and is 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.