Cleon Peterson American, b. 1973

Cleon Peterson, born in 1973 in Seattle, is a Los Angeles–based contemporary American artist internationally recognized for his stark and confrontational figurative works that explore power, violence, and social hierarchy. His visual language is bold and uncompromising, defined by flat, graphic compositions and a limited yet striking color palette—most often black, white, red, and gold. Peterson’s scenes depict human figures locked in conflict, domination, and struggle, presenting timeless archetypes rather than individual identities. Through these simplified forms, he examines the darker aspects of human nature and the cyclical forces of control, corruption, and chaos that shape societies.

Peterson’s early life was marked by personal turmoil, which deeply influenced his worldview and artistic direction. Art became both an outlet and a means of survival, allowing him to confront internal and external conflict. He later studied at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he refined his visual language and conceptual focus. Drawing inspiration from classical mythology, political propaganda, punk culture, and art history, Peterson developed a style that merges contemporary graphic clarity with ancient narrative themes. His work does not aim to glorify violence but to expose it as an inherent and recurring element of human systems of power.

Since emerging on the international art scene, Cleon Peterson has exhibited extensively in galleries, museums, and public spaces around the world. His large-scale murals and paintings have become iconic for their immediacy and symbolic force, resonating with audiences far beyond the traditional contemporary art sphere. Peterson’s work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is held in prominent private and institutional collections. Today, he is regarded as a leading voice in contemporary figurative art, using a raw and direct aesthetic to challenge viewers to confront the realities of authority, morality, and human conflict.