American Icon: The US Flag in Art

American Icon: The US Flag in Art examines how artists have reinterpreted the Stars and Stripes from the late 19th century to the present. Through roughly 30 paintings, prints, and photographs, the exhibition considers the flag as a symbol of national pride, protest, identity, and changing ideas about America.

The presentation includes works by Gordon Parks, Childe Hassam, Dorothea Lange, Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Corita Kent, Robert Frank, and others. It explores how people have connected with the flag in settings ranging from wartime and public celebrations to modern cultural and political movements.

When: June 6–December 6, 2026

Venue: National Gallery of Art, East Building

Location: Exhibition Lobby, East Building, and Concourse Gallery Lobby

Tickets: Free admission; passes are not required.

Featured artists: Gordon Parks, Childe Hassam, Dorothea Lange, Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Corita Kent, Robert Frank, and Neil Armstrong, among others.

Selected works: Highlights include Jasper Johns’s *Flags II [trial proof]*, Corita Kent’s *Flag of My Home*, Childe Hassam’s *Allies Day, May 1917*, Neil Armstrong and NASA’s *Buzz Aldrin Poses with Flag*, and Robert Frank’s *Parade—Hoboken, New Jersey*.

Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Curator: Kanitra Fletcher, associate curator of African American and Afro-Diasporic Art at the National Gallery of Art.

Related content: The exhibition page includes an interactive feature on Childe Hassam and the role of the US flag in American art.

Run time: This is a continuing exhibition with no timed duration listed.