: "Our Flag," which will be on display in the transept and rotunda
of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia until
January 4, brings together 22 paintings from the institution's
historic and extensive permanent collection that include some
version of the Stars and Stripes. Rather than the usual emphasis
on painting technique, the exhibition focuses on the actual
depiction of the flag as it changed over the years and how
artists used it to punctuate the themes in their works.
As her Australian accent quickly reveals, the show's curator, Kim
Saget, comes from the "land down under," which gives her a
special viewpoint on Americans' use of their national emblem:
"The flag is everywhere in America, much more visible than in my
native Australia or anywhere in Europe," says Saget. Collectors
know that any version of the Stars and Stripes on antiques,
formal or folk, adds significant dollar value. But the price
increase really measures the emotional impact we feel when we see
the American flag or shield on a ship's figurehead, Plains Indian
vest or Federal card table.
To help with her presentation of the material, Saget called upon
well-known Philadelphia area collector Tom Connelly, who sold 90
examples from his flag collection at Sotheby's on May 23, 2002.
Many of the pieces he assembled over a 15-year period are
illustrated in a new book by Sotheby's Nancy Druckman and flag
dealer J. Kenneth Kohn titled American Flags: Designs for a
Young Nation (Abrams 2003; $16.95).
Connelly was asked to organize the loan of a few actual flags to
illustrate special points in the exhibition, and -- more
important -- to advise Saget on whether the flags in the
paintings bore any resemblance to common flags of the period in
which they were painted. When the collector began talking to the
curator, Saget began to realize that there is a "flag subculture"
populated by enthusiasts like Connelly who study every variation
and detail.
