Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Kiss Of Death (Venom)”
Summary
A Ben-Day-dot romance-comic frame in which a tearful blonde, eyes closed and red-lipped, is locked in a kiss with a green-skinned grinning skull whose mouth is held shut by Frankenstein-style sutures. It is one of D*Face's signature "doomed lovers" tableaux, splicing Lichtenstein-era pulp romance with his recurring grinning-skull motif to turn a swoon into a kiss of death.
Why It Matters
The print sits at the core of D*Face's project: hijacking the visual language of 1960s American romance comics and advertising to expose the rot under the gloss of love, fame and consumer desire. By pairing a perfect pin-up heroine with a corpse, he weaponises nostalgia, the seductive Pop surface delivering a memento mori. The kiss-of-death lovers are among his most recognisable images and a direct descendant of Roy Lichtenstein's Kiss paintings, recast as cynical streetwise satire.
Collector Perspective
An edition of 65 is genuinely small for a D*Face image of this profile, putting it well below the artist's larger 150-300 print runs. The grinning-skull lovers are his most sought-after subject matter, so demand concentrates here more than on his peripheral motifs, and the "Venom" colourway gives a recognisable variant identity that helps it stand apart from other Kiss editions. The medium is unconfirmed, which marginally caps certainty until verified against the COA. Overall a desirable, low-availability piece that should hold and find buyers when it surfaces, without being a blue-chip rarity.
Historical Context
Made in 2011, during D*Face's Pop Provocation era when he was sharpening the comic-book-lovers theme that ran through gallery shows and editions of that period. The imagery quotes mid-century romance comics and Lichtenstein's appropriations of them, while the stitched-mouth skull connects to his wider vocabulary of decay, mortality and the hollow promise of glamour. It reflects the moment street art was moving decisively into the print-collecting market, with StolenSpace (which D*Face co-founded) helping channel that demand.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A blonde woman from a 1960s-style romance comic, eyes closed, a single tear on her cheek, bright red lips, kissing a green-skinned grinning skull whose mouth is held shut with Frankenstein-style sutures. It is D*Face's doomed-lovers / kiss-of-death motif: a glamorous swoon revealed as an embrace with death.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 65, which is small for a D*Face print of this profile.
What medium is it?
The medium is unconfirmed for this listing. D*Face editions of this type are most often screen prints, but this should be verified against the certificate of authenticity before relying on it.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, usually in pencil, though this has not been independently confirmed for this specific copy.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is Dean Stockton (b.1978, London), a British street artist and Pop provocateur who defaces romance-comic, 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.