Gilbert Baker, creator of the rainbow flag, dies at 66
Gilbert Baker, the American artist and designer who created the iconic rainbow flag, died on March 31, 2017, at age 66, just one day before the death of Pop Art pioneer James Rosenquist. Born in Kansas in 1951, Baker designed the flag as a symbol of diversity and vitality for the LGBT movement. The flag first appeared publicly on June 25, 1978, at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. The original design had eight stripes, each with a specific meaning: pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and violet for spirit. Later, pink and turquoise were removed. In June 2015, the flag entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, acquired by the Department of Architecture and Design directed by Paola Antonelli, a recognition Baker received before his death.
Key facts
- Gilbert Baker died on March 31, 2017, at age 66.
- He created the rainbow flag, a global symbol for the LGBT movement.
- The flag first appeared on June 25, 1978, at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade.
- The original design had eight stripes with specific meanings.
- Pink and turquoise stripes were later removed.
- In June 2015, the flag was added to MoMA's collection.
- MoMA's Department of Architecture and Design is directed by Paola Antonelli.
- Baker was born in Kansas in 1951.
Entities
Artists
- Gilbert Baker
- James Rosenquist
Institutions
- MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)
- San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade
Locations
- Kansas
- San Francisco
- New York