In this engraved photographic print, Adam Helms repurposed a widely reproduced portrait of the Argentinean Marxist revolutionary and Cuban government official Ernesto “Che” Guevara (1928–1967), who for many was a socialist hero. Che’s familiar visage was a symbol of rebellion and cultural icon within the youth-oriented countercultures of the 1960s and ’70s, and Helms fittingly designed his print to resemble a banner or flag. More than merely a portrait of a man, the image serves as an ideological emblem recognized by millions around the world.
See 2021.58.193.3 for the copper printing plate for this print.
