Auction Name: 2026 March 21 Space Exploration Showcase Auction

Lot Number: 71022

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/33172*71022

Alexander Calder (1898-1976), Flying Colors of the United States (The Bicentennial Plane), Lithograph. A celebrated and historically significant color lithograph by Alexander Calder, titled Flying Colors of the United States, created in 1976 to commemorate the United States Bicentennial. Commissioned by Braniff International Airways, the artwork reproduces Calder's gouache design for the hand-painted Boeing 727-200 that became one of the most iconic aircraft liveries of the 20th century. Measuring 32.5" x 21.5" (sight size) the lithograph is framed to an overall 44" x 32". The composition depicts the sweeping red and blue undulating forms that wrapped the fuselage of the aircraft, nicknamed the "Sneaky Snake", set against a field of white, with stylized figures gathered below. The lithograph edition was produced in a limited run and distributed primarily as presentation gifts to Braniff employees and associates. Age and handling related wear to frame, lithograph very fine. Braniff International: The Models and Memorabilia of Braniff Airways “Where Travel Became Art"

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