| Three Flags | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Jasper Johns |
| Year | 1958 |
| Type | Encaustic oncanvas |
| Dimensions | 77.8 cm × 115.6 cm (30+7⁄8 in × 45+1⁄2 in) |
| Location | Whitney Museum of American Art,New York |
Three Flags is a painting by American artistJasper Johns, from 1958. Held in the permanent collection of theWhitney Museum of American Art inNew York since 1980,Three Flags has been described as a "landmark of20th-century art".[1]
The work comprises three canvasespainted with hot wax. The three canvases form a tiered arrangement, with each canvas approximately 25% smaller than the one below, thereby creating a three-dimensional work. Each canvas is painted to resemblethe version of the United States flag that was in use at the time the work was painted, with 48 white stars in a blue canton on a field of thirteen alternating red and white stripes. Each flag is rendered with the approximately correct colors and proportions, as defined byTitle 4 of the United States Code.
In a sense, the perspective is reversed, with the smaller paintings projecting out towards the viewer. Only the topmost smallest painting is fully visible; the two behind are only partially visible.[2]
The painting was acquired by theWhitney Museum of American Art inNew York City for $1 million in 1980 from art collectors Burton andEmily Hall Tremaine, to celebrate its 50th anniversary.[3] Since the early 1960s,Three Flags has been included in numerous exhibitions, and different kinds of books and magazine articles focused on art and American history.[4]