Banksy — Flag (Silver) (2006)

Created in 2006, Banksy’s Flag (Silver) is a sharp, emotionally charged reworking of one of the most recognisable images of modern history: Joe Rosenthal’s 1945 photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. Where the original canonised wartime heroism, Banksy relocates the gesture into an urban aftermath—children and youths hoisting the American flag above a burned-out car—turning triumph into an uneasy question about who is asked to endure the consequences of national narratives.

The composition’s most arresting detail is the single metallic note: a large silver disc, read as sun or moon, casting a melancholic, reflective tone over the scene. It intensifies the work’s central tension—idealism versus lived reality—evoking themes associated with the fractured promise of the American Dream, the social cost of conflict, and the distance between celebrated “victories” and communities left behind. As a museum-grade multiple from Banksy’s sought-after print practice, Flag (Silver) condenses the artist’s cultural relevance into an image that remains timely, legible, and historically anchored.

This example, numbered 840 from an edition of 1,000 and issued unsigned as produced, is accompanied by an “Original Work of Art” certificate of authenticity, supporting provenance and long-term collectability. For collectors focused on blue-chip contemporary street art with enduring institutional interest and strong secondary-market demand, Flag (Silver) represents a compelling acquisition: iconography with immediate recognition, a tightly defined edition size, and a narrative that continues to resonate across art, politics, and popular culture.