Property of the Collection Over Holland David Hammons African-American Flag dyed cotton 56 1/2 x 87 1/4 in. (143.5 x 221.6 cm.) Executed in 1990, this work is from an edition of 5. Another example from the edition is in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner Exhibited Amsterdam, Museum Overholland, Black USA, April 7 - July 29, 1990 New York, The Museum of Modern Art, OPEN ENDS: Pop and After, September 28, 2000 - January 2, 2001 (another example exhibited) New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Art from the Collection, June 30, 2010 - September 19, 2011 (another example exhibited) Literature Kirk Varnedoe, Paola Antonelli Joshua Siegel, eds., Modern Contemporary: Art at MoMA Since 1980, New York, 2000, no. 287, pp. 272, 545 (another example illustrated) The Color Line: African-American Artists and Segregation, exh. cat., Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris, 2017 (another example illustrated on the cover) Catalogue Essay "African-American Flag is not only an artwork, it is a flag for a new nation, a flag for a new insight, it is a new flag for a new form and a new truth. David Hammons creates a new truth - what more can art do?” (Thomas Hirschhorn “Thomas Hirschhorn David Hammons Quote” Stiftung Sommerakademie im Zentrum Paul Klee Reader, Bern, 2016, online) A striking emblem charged with fervor and wit, David Hammons’ African-American Flag, 1990, is an iconic artwork by the artist. One of the most widely recognized works from his remarkable career, this particular example was included in the ground-breaking exhibition, Black USA at Museum Overholland, Amsterdam, 1990, where it was first raised in the heart of Amsterdam’s Museumplein. Originally produced in an edition of only five, other examples from the edition are housed in the collection of the artist and of The Collection Over Holland, as well as in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Among the most important and fascinating oeuvre of our time, Hammons’ works form part of the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Hirshhorn Sculpture Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Cambridge; Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris; and Tate Modern, London. Executed in 1990, African-American Flag corresponds with a pivotal moment in history, coinciding with Nelson Mandela’s release from Robben Island and the election of David Dinkins as the first and only black mayor of New York City. Having been awarded the American Academy in Rome Prize, Hammons was working in Europe when an encounter with the renowned curator Christiaan Braun led to Hammons’ decision to create this exceptional work of art for the upcoming Black USA exhibition at the celebrated Museum Overholland in Amsterdam. The following year Hammons was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” in recognition of his career and contributions to African American cultural identity. The Black USA exhibition represents a watershed moment in art history. In his influential and visionary role as director and curator of Museum Overholland (1987–1990), Braun organized a series of high-profile exhibitions of artists such as Gerhard Richter Roy Lichtenstein Thomas Schütte Frank Stella Paul Cézanne Ellsworth Kelly Louise Bourgeois and Marlene Dumas Having identified a significant lack of exposure of African American artists in Europe, Braun set out to present an exhibition in honor of African American artists. After an in-depth investigation through America, he decided on seven artists including Hammons, as well as Jules Allen Benny Andrews Romare Bearden Robert Colescott Martin Puryear and Bill Traylor Each artist was selected to convey a distinct message: Allen as the photographer of black culture, of boxers and “Hats and HatNots”; Andrews as the black “protester”, Puryear as the first black artist to represent the United States at a major international art exhibition, the São Paulo Art Biennial in 1989; Bill Traylor as the self-taught, antebellum Southerner; and rounding out the group was the enigmatic “magician”, David
Property of the Collection Over Holland David Hammons African-American Flag dyed cotton 56 1/2 x 87 1/4 in. (143.5 x 221.6 cm.) Executed in 1990, this work is from an edition of 5. Another example from the edition is in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner Exhibited Amsterdam, Museum Overholland, Black USA, April 7 - July 29, 1990 New York, The Museum of Modern Art, OPEN ENDS: Pop and After, September 28, 2000 - January 2, 2001 (another example exhibited) New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Art from the Collection, June 30, 2010 - September 19, 2011 (another example exhibited) Literature Kirk Varnedoe, Paola Antonelli Joshua Siegel, eds., Modern Contemporary: Art at MoMA Since 1980, New York, 2000, no. 287, pp. 272, 545 (another example illustrated) The Color Line: African-American Artists and Segregation, exh. cat., Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris, 2017 (another example illustrated on the cover) Catalogue Essay "African-American Flag is not only an artwork, it is a flag for a new nation, a flag for a new insight, it is a new flag for a new form and a new truth. David Hammons creates a new truth - what more can art do?” (Thomas Hirschhorn “Thomas Hirschhorn David Hammons Quote” Stiftung Sommerakademie im Zentrum Paul Klee Reader, Bern, 2016, online) A striking emblem charged with fervor and wit, David Hammons’ African-American Flag, 1990, is an iconic artwork by the artist. One of the most widely recognized works from his remarkable career, this particular example was included in the ground-breaking exhibition, Black USA at Museum Overholland, Amsterdam, 1990, where it was first raised in the heart of Amsterdam’s Museumplein. Originally produced in an edition of only five, other examples from the edition are housed in the collection of the artist and of The Collection Over Holland, as well as in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Among the most important and fascinating oeuvre of our time, Hammons’ works form part of the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Hirshhorn Sculpture Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Cambridge; Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris; and Tate Modern, London. Executed in 1990, African-American Flag corresponds with a pivotal moment in history, coinciding with Nelson Mandela’s release from Robben Island and the election of David Dinkins as the first and only black mayor of New York City. Having been awarded the American Academy in Rome Prize, Hammons was working in Europe when an encounter with the renowned curator Christiaan Braun led to Hammons’ decision to create this exceptional work of art for the upcoming Black USA exhibition at the celebrated Museum Overholland in Amsterdam. The following year Hammons was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant” in recognition of his career and contributions to African American cultural identity. The Black USA exhibition represents a watershed moment in art history. In his influential and visionary role as director and curator of Museum Overholland (1987–1990), Braun organized a series of high-profile exhibitions of artists such as Gerhard Richter Roy Lichtenstein Thomas Schütte Frank Stella Paul Cézanne Ellsworth Kelly Louise Bourgeois and Marlene Dumas Having identified a significant lack of exposure of African American artists in Europe, Braun set out to present an exhibition in honor of African American artists. After an in-depth investigation through America, he decided on seven artists including Hammons, as well as Jules Allen Benny Andrews Romare Bearden Robert Colescott Martin Puryear and Bill Traylor Each artist was selected to convey a distinct message: Allen as the photographer of black culture, of boxers and “Hats and HatNots”; Andrews as the black “protester”, Puryear as the first black artist to represent the United States at a major international art exhibition, the São Paulo Art Biennial in 1989; Bill Traylor as the self-taught, antebellum Southerner; and rounding out the group was the enigmatic “magician”, David
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