Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Sweet Nothings (Hand Painted Multiple)”
Summary
A cream-and-black comic-strip tableau in which a wide-eyed, purple-haired heroine shedding a single blue teardrop is embraced from behind by a grinning, hollow-eyed skull-faced lover, half-skeletal and leering against a flash of speed-lines. The Ben-Day dot field in the upper corner and a single red lip complete D*Face's signature corruption of vintage romance-comic panels, here rendered as a hand-painted multiple where each impression is individually worked rather than a flat edition print.
Why It Matters
Sweet Nothings sits at the core of D*Face's project: hijacking the visual language of 1950s-60s pulp romance comics and poisoning the fantasy from inside. The swooning girl and the murmured "sweet nothings" of the title belong to a death's-head rather than a matinee idol, turning the promise of love into a memento mori about seduction, consumer fantasy and the lies sold to us through pop imagery. It is a direct descendant of his Roy Lichtenstein appropriations pushed toward the macabre, and it distills the recurring D*Face thesis that desire and decay are the same transaction.
Collector Perspective
As a Hand Painted Multiple in an edition of 115, each example carries unique hand-finished passages, which collectors value above flat screen-print editions of comparable size because no two are identical. The doomed-lovers / skull-kiss subject is among D*Face's most recognizable and sought motifs, more desirable than his lesser dog or generic-skull works. The relatively contained edition and the labour-intensive medium support a firmer floor than open or large-run prints, though it trades less frequently than his marquee screen prints; condition of the hand-painted areas and intact margins matter to value.
Historical Context
Produced in 2013, during what is framed here as D*Face's Pop Provocation era, the work draws on the same mid-century romance-comic and Ben-Day-dot vocabulary that Lichtenstein mined, but redirects it toward the artist's grinning-skull iconography developed across his street and studio practice. By this point D*Face (Dean Stockton, b. 1978, London) had established StolenSpace gallery and a body of work satirising consumerism, celebrity and the packaging of romance, of which Sweet Nothings is a concentrated example.
FAQ
What does Sweet Nothings depict?
A comic-strip romance scene subverted: a wide-eyed, purple-haired heroine with a single teardrop is embraced from behind by a grinning, skull-faced lover, set against Ben-Day dots and comic speed-lines. The whispered 'sweet nothings' of the title come from a death's-head, turning a love panel into a memento mori.
What is the medium and edition size?
It is a Hand Painted Multiple from 2013 in an edition of 115. Each impression is individually hand-finished, so examples vary slightly from one another rather than being identical flat prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited works of this kind are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, usually in the lower margin. Signature and numbering on any specific example should be confirmed against the physical piece and its documentation.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a British street and pop artist who defaces comic-book romance, 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 in London.
How rare is this piece?
With an edition of 115 it falls in the moderate-scarcity band, but as a labour-intensive hand-painted multiple each example is effectively unique, making it scarcer in practice than a standard screen-print run of the same number.
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.