FLAGS Larry Simons
material culture 4700 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144 | 215-849-8030 | materialculture.com
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I have been asked more than once what my fascination with the American flag is about. I’m a very visual person and the more flags I look at, the more I like ours as a graphic and as a symbol of the country I love. It has an interesting history in that it has changed often. The number of stars are meant to represent the number of states in America and as far as I know the changes have always been accepted without incident. This is not necessarily true in other countries.
One morning in 1974 I awoke and walked out onto the balcony of my hotel room in Kabul, Afghanistan to see tanks positioned at major intersections in the streets below. They had not been there the night before so I rushed down to the desk to find out what was going on. I was relieved to find out that a coup-d’etat had not taken place during the night but that the flag had changed and the government was nervous about what the reaction might be.
My flags, as with all my assemblages, are made from found materials and I don’t paint the bits I use, preferring to work with the palette I find. I almost never include stars in my compositions for two reasons: I can’t seem to find anything suitable and I think the image is more beautiful without them. The numerous variations I’ve created so far were dictated by the materials at hand and I can foresee many more to come. — Larry Simons
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American Flag, Untitled (#22), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 42” x 29”
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American Flag, Untitled (#36), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x 26” 7
American Flag, Untitled (#42), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 39” x 20”
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American Flag, Untitled (#47), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 45” x 23”
11
American Flag, Untitled (#49), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 45” x 23”
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American Flag, Untitled (#50), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 44” x 24” 15
American Flag, Untitled (#54), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 46”x 24”
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American Flag, Untitled (#67), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 45” x 23” 19
American Flag, Untitled (#69), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 28” x 15” 21
American Flag, Untitled (#72), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 41” x22” 23
American Flag, Untitled (#74), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 45” x 24”
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American Flag, Untitled (#81), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x25”
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American Flag, Untitled (#90), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x 24” 29
American Flag, Untitled (#96), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 43” x 23” 31
American Flag, Untitled (#101), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 23” x 12”
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American Flag, Untitled (#102), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x 26”
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American Flag, Untitled (#103), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x 25” 37
American Flag, Untitled (#105), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 37” x 19”
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American Flag, Untitled (#108), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x 26” 41
American Flag, Untitled (#115), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 36” x 19”
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American Flag, Untitled (#117), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x 26” 45
American Flag, Untitled (#125), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 38” x 20”
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American Flag, Untitled (#126), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 35” x 19” 49
American Flag, Untitled (#132), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 46” x 24” 51
American Flag, Untitled (#135), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 45” x 24” 53
American Flag, Untitled (#137), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 48” x 25”
55
American Flag, Untitled (#143), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 37” x 20” 57
American Flag, Untitled (#144), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 37” x 20”
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American Flag, Untitled (#147), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 31” x 23” 61
Arizona State Flag, Untitled (#51), Found Wo
ood and Metal, Original Paint, Size: 37” x 24”
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Canadian Flag, Untitled (#71), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 44” x 22”
65
British Flag, Untitled (#75), Found W
Wood, Original Paint, Size: 45” x 24”
67
British Flag, Untitled (#78), Found W
Wood, Original Paint, Size: 45” x 24”
69
Texas State Flag, Untitled (#79), Found
d Wood, Original Paint, Size: 36” x 24”
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British Flag, Untitled (#80), Found W
Wood, Original Paint, Size: 65” x35” 73
British Flag, Untitled (#84), Found W
Wood, Original Paint, Size: 42” x 21”
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Chilean Flag, Untitled (#89), Found
Wood, Original Paint, Size: 36” x25” 77
Colorado State Flag, Untitled (#133), Fou
und Wood, Original Paint, Size: 36” x 24” 79
material culture 4700 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144 | 215-849-8030 | materialculture.com