Gauntlet Gallery — Ron English Print Index
Diabetic Bear
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Diabetic Bear belongs to Ron English's 2011 Cereal Killer suite, recasting a honey-loving cartoon bear mascot as a blunt warning about sugar and metabolic disease. The work is an archival pigment giclee on Hahnemuhle German Etching 310gsm paper, 15.25 x 10 inches, from a signed and numbered edition of 50.
Collector notes: The saved release record describes: Each an edition of 50 signed and numbered by the artist. The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
Few titles in the series name their target as directly as Diabetic Bear. English takes a wholesome breakfast mascot and attaches the health consequence to it, collapsing the gap between cheerful advertising and its downstream effect. It is the Cereal Killer critique at its most explicit.
Collector Perspective
The edition of 50 makes Diabetic Bear scarce, and its unusually pointed title gives it standout appeal within the set. Collectors typically pursue it as part of the complete six-print group. The Hahnemuhle stock and hand signature aid preservation; verify the pencil number and first-edition provenance.
Historical Context
Diabetic Bear channels the friendly-bear archetype long used to market honey-sweetened cereal. Released in 2011, it speaks to a period of rising alarm over childhood diabetes and food-marketing ethics, continuing the culture-jamming practice English pioneered on billboards decades earlier.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print
- Release date
- 2011
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Giclee Print; catalog dimensions 15.25 x 10 inches; Archival pigment prints on Hahnemühle German Etching 310gsm paper.
- Edition details
- The saved release record describes: Each an edition of 50 signed and numbered by the artist.
- Signature and marks
- The saved release record describes: signed; numbered. Verify each feature against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Ron English's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: No per-work artist statement is recorded for this edition. Any thematic reading should be treated as interpretation of the imagery, not a documented statement of the artist's intent. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2011 and attributes the edition to Post No Bills.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Post No Bills. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- POPaganda — official site — Ron English studio · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
- Ron English (artist) — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Ron English (Q582475) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
Which mascot inspired Diabetic Bear?
It reinterprets a honey-loving cartoon bear cereal mascot, tying the cheerful character to the health cost of excess sugar.
What is the edition size?
Fifty signed and numbered prints make up the first edition.
How is it printed?
As an archival pigment giclee on Hahnemuhle German Etching 310gsm paper at 15.25 x 10 inches.
Is it sold individually or as a set?
It is available singly but was conceived as one of six Cereal Killer prints and is often collected as a complete group.
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