APC GALLERY IS PROUD TO PRESENT
A rare and historically significant early work by Los Angeles-based artist Cleon Peterson.
From the artist’s 2009 solo exhibition "The Occupation" in Los Angeles, and one of the defining moments of his early career.
Peterson began showing his work publicly in 2007, with gallerist Jeffrey Deitch among his earliest notable supporters. Four solo exhibitions in 2009 — in Los Angeles, Belgium, and Australia — further launched his career. This panel dates to that breakthrough year.
The composition depicts a visceral street confrontation outside a shuttered storefront — “El Caribe Liquor Market, Carniceria & Produce, 875” — rendered in Peterson’s signature two-tone palette of hot coral-red and black. A figure is pinned to the ground as two assailants converge, while bystanders watch with hollow grins. The scene is both brutally specific and archetypal, rooted in the visual language of Los Angeles street life.
Peterson’s work depicts chilling scenes of barbarity and excess — man at his worst — portrayed using a pared-back style reminiscent of Greco-Roman vases. His clean line and accessible style, reminiscent of both street art and advertising illustration, contrasts with his gruesome, messy scenes.
What distinguishes this piece from Peterson’s better-known later work is its narrative specificity: an identifiable Los Angeles address, architectural detail in the security gates, and a cinematic staging that feels documentary rather than purely symbolic. It predates the flattened, mythological quality of his mature paintings, making it a window into his artistic development.
Peterson’s work has fetched five-figure prices on the secondary market. This small oil panel — acquired at the source from one of his earliest institutional supporters — represents an exceptional opportunity to own a museum-quality early work with direct provenance.
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Year: 2009
Exhibition History: "The Occupation", Los Angeles, 2009.
Provenance:
Private Collection, Los Angeles. 2009-2026
Condition: Very good; minor handling consistent with age
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