The pride flag was first unveiled in 1978 at the behest of activist Harvey Milk, who had asked his friend, Gilbert Baker, to design a symbol for the gay community. Alongside Lynn Segerblom (also known as Faerie Argyle Rainbow), Baker proposed a rainbow of eight colours, each steeped in its own symbolism (hot pink and turquoise were soon dropped, proving too difficult to manufacture.)

In the newly framed painting, ‘pride’, Philippe Le Miere depicts the iconic flag. He calls upon the work of Jasper Johns, whose paintings of the American flag raised questions around semiotics and materiality – flags are in a sense, readymade images. What changes when distilled in encaustic paint? What connotations shift in context and form?

Once a radical image, the Pride flag has now entered the mainstream visual lexicon. For some it still recalls a fraught history, for others it is a gesture of liberation, progress and celebration, and for others it has been irrevocably co-opted. For Baker and Segerblom the flag’s colours spoke to life, healing, sunlight, serenity and spirit – values still at the heart of the expanding LGBTQIA community.

Captured on canvas over forty years later, the Pride flag is a reminder of the power of symbols – how they transform across time, finding new audiences and meaning. For collectors of contemporary art, ‘pride’ is a vibrant find.

Philippe LE MIERE (1975 - )
'pride' 2024
acrylic on canvas
Image Size: 51 x 38 cm
Dimensions: 51 x 38 cm
Signed: Signed lower right Le Miere, inscribed verso Philippe Le Miere, title and date
Comes with Letter of Provenance

Condition: Excellent

(c) The Artist or Assignee