Signed photo of 'Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima' offered at Heritage Auctions

This rare signed copy of Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is expected to fetch up to $25,000 at Heritage Auctions' Photographs Auction on October 4 in New York. The print has four signatures: three by the only three soldiers in the picture who survived the battle, and one by photographer Joe Rosenthal. The photo was originally owned by artist Felix de Weldon, who used it as his basis for the massive sculpture for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

Heritage Auctions tells more about this iconic image:

"On February 23, 1945 there were two American flag raisings on the top of Mount Suribachi. The first flag was hoisted about 10:30 am. It was decided that the first flag was too small and that a second larger flag should be upraised. Around noon the second flag was uplifted and Rosenthal took this Pulitzer Prize winning photograph. There were six flag-raisers originally identified in the photograph - Ira Hayes, Michael Strank, Franklin Sousley, Rene Gagnon, John Bradley and Harlon Block - only Hayes, Gagnon, and Bradley survived the battle.

The impact of this photograph at the time cannot be underestimated. The three surviving second flag-raisers, Bradley, Gagnon, and Hayes, met President Truman on April 20, 1945 at the White House and were enlisted to go on the Seventh War Loan Drive to raise money for the war effort."

Comments

Eric van Straaten's 3D-Printed Statuettes

I can't remember when I first became entranced with Eric van Straaten 's 3D-printed sculptures. I think I stumbled onto his work through tumblr when I was searching for new artists to follow. Eric's attention to detail is pretty amazing, and the image of the eroticized child-woman is familiar throughout his work. Most of his hyper surreal pieces are 3D-printed in sandstone material, which are created by laying down a thin layer of gypsum powder and using a binding agent and color inks to print a pattern onto it. Once the entire model is printed, it is withdrawn from the print bed and the excess powder is removed. The model is then sealed and ready for display. "I think that the girls I create in my work are visualizations of my own feelings, fantasies and thoughts," the Dutch artist explains. "The girls actually look like someone I (used to) know and the different ‘portraits’ tell something about what I think of myself in regards to her or women ...

Reject False Icons Trailer: Virtual Meets Reality

If you're a Gorillaz fan, you're most likely ecstatic right now. The biggest virtual band in the world has an upcoming documentary, and it will hit theaters for one night only on December 16. Directed by Denholm Hewlett, the son of artist and Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett, Reject False Icons follows the group's most important projects over the past three years. With appearances from Snoop Dogg, Noel Gallagher, De La Soul, DRAM, Pusha T, Mavis Staples, and many others, the film is sure to highlight the impact Gorillaz has had in pop culture. Fans can head to rejectfalseicons.com for tickets and info on which theaters are screening.

The Adorable Sculptures of Yen Yen Lo

These images are from a series of wall sculptures created by Yen Yen Lo . Here you can see her intricately textured ceramic pieces, looking downright adorable. Yen Yen Lo's eye for the unique and whimsical is delightful. Apparently they are not intended for kids under 16. Fifteen-year-olds cannot be trusted with fragile stuff. Get them a Funko Pop instead.

finding cain

Search This Blog