Hammons’s Body Print

1969

David Hammons’s early work included imprints of himself and the flag.

African-American Flag was not Hammons’s first use of the American flag. In the 1960s and ‘70s, Hammons created a series of “body prints” in which he greased himself, pressed his body against the canvas, and then added colors to the imprint. Many of these body prints, including the 1969 piece Pray for America, include images of the American flag. Hammons’s art reveals an intimate relationship with the American flag.