THE AMERICAN FLAG, 2001
Designed and fabricated in Chicago by Khaim Pinkhasik (born 1940)
30” H x 40” W SM 626
The American Flag window honors the principles of American liberty and the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The American Flag is a symbol of freedom, justice and the rule of law. The September 11 attacks evoked a global response in support of these universal principles. The international scope of the tragedy was manifest, with citizens of dozens of countries being among the several thousand victims.
It is significant that The American Flag window was designed by a Russian who immigrated to the United States and became a U.S. citizen. Khaim Pinkhasik was born in Minsk, Russia in 1040 and emigrated to the United States in 1980 to pursue artistic freedom. Before coming to the United States, he received much acclaim in Russia for his state-sponsored mosaic portraits of Soviet leaders. Desiring more freedom for artistic expression, however, Pinkhasik came to the United States and settled in Chicago in 1982, where he currently lives with his wife Valentina.
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