Cleon Peterson - REFRESH:RELOAD Online Auction Hong Kong Tuesday, May 19, 2020 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

    • 2015

    • signed and dated 'Cleon 15' on the reverse

    • acrylic on canvas

    • 41 x 41 cm. (16 1/8 x 16 1/8 in.)

    • Painted in 2015.

  • Provenance

    Over the Influence, Hong Kong
    Acquired from the above by the present owner

  • Exhibited

    Hong Kong, Over the Influence, Cleon Peterson: Purity, 21 - 31 January 2016

  • Catalogue Essay

    With an aesthetic rooted in clean graphic design, Los-Angeles-based artist Cleon Peterson has established a name for his monochromatic dystopian scenes governed by violence and chaos. As embodied in Backstabber, the striking visual world reflected in Peterson's works is filled with references to power, submission and mortality. Drawing inspiration from Classical art, in particular the scenes of warriors in battle that adorned ancient Greco-Roman vases, the deviant characters in Peterson's contemporary works are rendered in clean lines and a starkly minimalist colour palette that immediately draws the eye in.

    Executed in 2015, Backstabber is as mesmerising as it is disturbing, featuring a pair of figures entangled in a violent struggle. Rendered without context, the hostile scene portrayed symbolises the reality observed by Peterson within the current global socio-political situation. In discussing why his work focuses on scenes of chaos, Peterson explains: 'People think you have an obligation, as an artist, to project positivism and not be critical. But in my world, all the art I've always responded to works against that, is critical, and is a commentary on the status quo' (Cleon Peterson quoted in Braudie Blais-Billie, 'Interview: Cleon Peterson Talks Depicting Society's Violence and Deviating From ‘The Rules’ in His Art', Complex, 30 July 2014, online). Peterson's provocative works confront viewers with a necessary call to action.

124

Backstabber

2015
signed and dated 'Cleon 15' on the reverse
acrylic on canvas
41 x 41 cm. (16 1/8 x 16 1/8 in.)
Painted in 2015.

Estimate
HK$100,000 - 200,000 
€11,900-23,900
$12,800-25,600

Sold for HK$125,000

Contact Specialist

Delissa Handoko

Associate Specialist, Head of Online Sales, Hong Kong, 20th Century & Contemporary Art

+852 2318 2013

DHandoko@phillips.com

 

Thomas Perazzi

Head of Watches, Asia

+852 2318 2001

WatchesHK@phillips.com

 

Yoki Chan

Junior Specialist, Jewels, Hong Kong

+852 2318 2036

JewelleryHK@phillips.com

 

REFRESH:RELOAD Online Auction

Online Auction 20 - 28 May 2020