Faith Ringgold

American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding, 1967

About the Artwork

Faith Ringgold (American, 1930–2024), American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding, 1967, oil on canvas, 182.88 × 243.84 cm (72 × 96 in.). National Gallery of Art, Gift of Glenstone Foundation and Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2021.28.1. © 2026 Anyone Can Fly Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

There is something subversive about seeing an American flag dripping with blood. Faith Ringgold knows that, and she doesn’t shy away. The artist intentionally positions her three subjects behind the ghastly screen. The white people and Black man link arms, but this is not a scene of peace or reconciliation. The white man, with legs spread and hands on hips, poses like a gunslinger. The Black man holds a bloody knife. He looks like he’s pledging allegiance to the flag, but blood seeps between his fingers at his heart. Made during the racial violence and political turbulence of the 1960s, this work seems to ask, Can we ever be united?

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Faith Ringgold

American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding, 1967

About the Artwork

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