Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Statue Of Liberty (First Edition)”
Summary
A turquoise-and-teal screenprint that recrops the Statue of Liberty's crowned head and torch-arm into flat pop-art blocks, then defaces the icon by painting her as a sad clown: magenta-rimmed eyes, a round red clown nose, rouged cheeks and a downturned yellow-and-red frown, set against a pale ground. It is a defining example of D*Face's early-street-era practice of vandalising a single instantly recognisable symbol of American power and freedom, turning a monument to liberty into a figure of clownish despair.
Why It Matters
The Statue of Liberty is one of the most loaded symbols an artist can touch, and D*Face's choice to reduce it to a weeping clown lands squarely in his core project: taking the imagery a culture treats as sacred (celebrity, advertising, national myth) and exposing the hollowness or sadness underneath the gloss. Made in 2008, against the backdrop of the late-Bush years and a wider European street-art scepticism toward American power, the image reads as a pointed satire of a nation's self-image. It pairs the seriousness of the subject with the deliberately cheap, absurd vocabulary of the clown, a tension that runs through his strongest work.
Collector Perspective
An edition of 75 is genuinely small for a D*Face screenprint, and the subject, a clean single-image takedown of the Statue of Liberty, gives it the kind of immediate, wall-ready recognisability collectors gravitate to. As a First Edition of a recognised early image it sits among the more sought-after of his 2008 prints rather than a throwaway. It does not carry the brand-name pull of his D*Dog or doomed-lovers motifs, so demand is driven more by the strength of the image than by motif-collecting, but the low edition size and direct political read keep it desirable. Condition matters: the large flat colour fields and pale background show handling and toning readily.
Historical Context
The work belongs to D*Face's Early Street Era, when he was building a name through subverted pop and celebrity imagery and through StolenSpace, the East London gallery he co-founded. The Statue of Liberty, Bartholdi's 1886 monument to freedom, is appropriated here as a ready-made emblem of America itself, and the clown overlay continues a long satirical tradition of mocking power by making it ridiculous. Produced in 2008, it captures a moment of widespread scepticism toward American political authority and consumer culture, themes D*Face has returned to repeatedly across his career.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A close-cropped Statue of Liberty (her crowned head, face and raised torch-arm) rendered in flat turquoise and teal and defaced as a sad clown, with magenta-rimmed eyes, rouged cheeks, a round red nose and a downturned frown, set against a pale background.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 75. This is the First Edition of the image.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print (silkscreen).
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited-edition prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, usually in pencil. Buyers should confirm the signature and numbering on the specific example they are considering.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (b.1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic-book, advertising and celebrity imagery; his motifs include the winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face 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 D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.