Summary
A monochrome screen print rendering Banksy's "Flag," in which a cluster of youths hoists an American flag atop a wrecked, burned-out car, staged in the exact pyramidal composition of Joe Rosenthal's 1945 Iwo Jima flag-raising photograph. Set against a pale full-moon disc on a deep navy ground and here printed on gold-toned Formica board, it is one of Banksy's sharpest single-image collisions of patriotic war iconography and urban riot.
Why It Matters
"Flag" takes the most reproduced victory image in American history and relocates it to a torched car in a stripped, looted street, swapping the marines of Iwo Jima for anonymous kids. The substitution turns a monument to wartime triumph into a comment on its aftermath: occupation, civil unrest, and the hollowness of planting a flag over rubble. Produced in the mid-2000s against the backdrop of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, it sits squarely within Banksy's anti-war and anti-establishment program, using appropriated mass-media imagery to puncture national myth-making. The Gold On Formica treatment pushes it further from "print on paper" toward object, a material gesture typical of Banksy's interest in disrupting fine-art conventions.
Collector Perspective
"Flag" is a recognized and well-collected Banksy image, but this is a variant edition: a screen print on gold-toned Formica rather than the standard paper editions, and the edition size here is not documented. Formica and other unusual-substrate versions of "Flag" exist in small numbers and trade less frequently than the paper signed/unsigned runs, so condition (Formica is prone to edge wear and surface marks) and verifiable provenance matter a great deal. Buyers should confirm whether a given example is signed or unsigned and seek paperwork tied to Pictures on Walls / Pest Control where available, since unauthenticated examples carry real risk. As an image, "Flag" has strong, consistent demand; as a specific substrate variant, pricing is thinner and more example-dependent, so treat any quoted figure as item-specific rather than a fixed market rate.
Historical Context
The composition directly references Joe Rosenthal's "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" (February 1945), perhaps the most iconic war photograph ever taken and the basis for the USMC War Memorial. Banksy first developed the "Flag" image in the mid-2000s, the period of the Iraq War and intense debate over American military intervention; this Gold On Formica version is dated 2008, within his Art-World Era as his work moved from street walls into galleries, auction houses, and editioned objects. By staging the heroic flag-raising on a destroyed car in an emptied street, the print reframes the WWII memory as a scene of contemporary occupation and looting rather than liberation.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A group of young figures raising an American flag on top of a wrecked, overturned car, arranged in the same pyramidal pose as the famous 1945 Iwo Jima flag-raising photograph, set against a large pale moon disc on a dark ground.
What is it referencing?
Joe Rosenthal's 1945 photograph 'Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.' Banksy transplants that wartime victory image onto a scene of urban wreckage to comment on war, occupation, and its aftermath.
What is the medium?
A screen print. This particular version, 'Flag (Gold On Formica),' is printed on gold-toned Formica board rather than standard paper, making it a substrate variant of the image.
How large is the edition?
The edition size for this Gold On Formica version is not documented in our records. Banksy's 'Flag' image exists in several forms, including standard paper signed and unsigned editions; this Formica variant is a smaller, less common production.
Is it signed?
The title does not specify signed or unsigned, so this must be confirmed example by example. Always verify signature status and request authentication (POW / Pest Control where applicable) before purchase.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humor, and anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment imagery, with many prints originally published through Pictures on Walls.
About the Artist
Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose identity remains officially unconfirmed. Emerging from the Bristol underground scene in the early 1990s, he developed a fast, stencil-based technique for working in public space, pairing dark humour with anti-war, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment messages. Recurring motifs include rats, monkeys, riot police, and children with balloons or weapons. Many of his prints were published through Pictures on Walls and rank among the most heavily traded in the secondary market, while stunts such as the self-shredding Girl with Balloon, the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and the Gross Domestic Product homeware line have made him one of the most recognised artists in the world.
Collecting Banksy at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic Banksy prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of Banksy prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new Banksy prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across Banksy and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.