Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Baader Meinhof Print”
Summary
A stark red-ground screen print rendered as the one-sheet poster for the 2008 film "The Baader Meinhof Complex," showing two sunglass-wearing Red Army Faction militants — a man and woman drawn in flat black-and-white silhouette — looming over a ghostly grey crowd of protestors and a German-lettered banner. The image translates Cleon Peterson's high-contrast black/white/red stencil language into a politically charged piece of film promotion.
Why It Matters
It is an unusually direct collision of Peterson's themes — power, militancy, mob violence and political extremism — with a real historical subject: West Germany's far-left Red Army Faction (the Baader-Meinhof Group). Where Peterson's gallery work abstracts brutality into anonymous fighting figures, here the same flat red/black/white vocabulary is aimed at identifiable revolutionaries, making the print a rare narrative, named-subject entry that links his aesthetic to the actual politics of terror and authority his art usually treats allegorically.
Collector Perspective
A small edition of 36 from 2009, screen printed in Peterson's signature red/black/white palette. This is an early-career, niche film-tie-in piece rather than one of the marquee gallery editions (End of Empire, the riot/mob scenes), so it sits in the deep-cut/completist corner of the market. The tiny edition size gives it genuine scarcity, but demand is thinner and more specialized than for his iconic violence scenes, so liquidity is moderate. Confirm signature and numbering against the specific impression, as not all early promotional editions were hand-signed.
Historical Context
Produced in 2009, at the front end of Cleon Peterson's print career and before his breakout body of black/white/red conflict paintings and his prominent Shepard Fairey collaborations. The subject — the Red Army Faction and the Uli Edel/Bernd Eichinger film dramatizing its 1970s campaign of bombings, kidnappings and assassinations — connects the work to one of postwar Europe's defining stories of political violence and state authority, themes that would become the core of Peterson's mature output.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
Two Red Army Faction militants — a man and a woman in dark sunglasses, rendered in flat black-and-white — set against a red ground over a grey crowd of demonstrators, styled as the film poster for 'The Baader Meinhof Complex.'
What is the edition size?
36.
Is it signed and numbered?
It is a limited edition of 36; verify hand-signing and numbering on the individual impression, as early promotional editions were not always signed.
What medium and year is it?
A screen print from 2009.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast black/white/red/gold scenes of violence, power and social conflict, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and a frequent Shepard Fairey collaborator.
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.