Some Tools of Our Trade
$650.00
Editorial View
The Gallery's Perspective
There’s an intimate sense of history held in the small, folded flag here — not a stiff, idealized banner but a lived object with creases, shadows, and the faint illusion of lunar dust. The flag’s reds and blues are rendered with a matte, muted warmth against a deep, textured field that reads like the moon’s cratered surface; those subtle circular impressions and ridged brushwork give the background tactile presence without distracting from the flag itself. The way the stripes drape and overlap suggests the practical difficulty of extending that horizontal rod on the first moonwalk, and the compressed folds feel honest and human rather than theatrical. Signed and realized with visible surface texture, the image balances nostalgia and quiet pride: it reads as a close, reflective moment from exploration rather than a grand, distant tableau. Hung where you want a personal reminder of a small human gesture that changed our view of the world, it feels quietly resonant and true to memory.
The Artwork
About First Flag
First Flag - This Fine Art Textured Canvas is a portrait of the flag that Astronaut Neil Armstrong planted on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, the first time man walked on the moon. The first flag hangs, much like a curtain, from a small extendable metal rod that Armstrong rotated up and locked in place at the top of the flagstaff. During the flight to the moon, the flag was stored folded-up, accordion-style, and attached to the flagstaff and curtain rod. During the first moonwalk, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin attempted to extend the rod and flag to its full length but without complete success. The creases in the shortened flag are still visible in my painting.
A Fine Art Textured Canvas looks nearly identical to the original painting and reproduces Alan Bean"s carefully built three-dimensional canvas. Prior to painting this image, Bean covered the surface with a texturing material. He then used exact replicas of his Moon boots to make footprints across this surface to replicate the Apollo boot prints remaining on the moon today. Next, he used the Apollo 12 geology hammer, which he worked with on the Apollo 12 mission, to dig into the painting"s surface. Finally, a sharp-edged bit from one of the core tubes was used to make round indentations in the surface. All of this texture comes to amazing 3-dimensional life in this striking Fine Art Textured Canvas Edition.
The Greenwich Workshop"s reputation has been built on our exacting standards and First Flag is as exacting a Fine Art Edition as possible. Each canvas is signed by legendary Apollo 12 astronaut, moonwalker and artist Captain Alan Bean and each is a work of art and a historic document.
Own a personal and patriotic connection to traveling in space. Own a Fine Art Textured Canvas by astronaut and explorer Alan Bean and you will never look at the Moon the same way again.
Artist, Alan Bean, on First Flag:
On September 12, 1962, John F. Kennedy gave America an historical challenge. He said, "The United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward," and later, "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win."
In less than seven years, on July 20, 1969, the whole world watched on television as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin unfurled the first flag on the moon. It was a moment that will live in history forever and in the collective memories of billions of humans 240,000 miles away on planet Earth.
Apollo "" the quest for the Moon was an impossible dream some 400,000 Americans, working together, made come true. Every day I feel blessed to have been part of that great adventure.
Collector Details
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About the Collection
Alan Bean, a former Apollo 12 astronaut, transformed his firsthand experience of space exploration into stunning fine art paintings. As the only artist to have walked on the Moon, his work captures the textured surface of the lunar landscape, often embedding real moon dust and mission patches into his canvases. His impressionistic space paintings bring the Apollo era to life, showcasing astronaut moonwalks, celestial landscapes, and cosmic exploration from a perspective no other artist can provide. His limited edition space prints and original paintings remain highly sought after by collectors of space history art, making Alan Bean a pioneer in astronaut-inspired fine art.
Image Rights
Image copyright © 2026 by Alan Bean.
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Authenticity & Documentation
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Limited-edition artwork includes a Certificate of Authenticity when one is issued by the artist, publisher, studio, or authorized source. Open-edition pieces may not include a certificate; this does not affect their authenticity. The Collection Shop sources artwork through artists, publishers, authorized distributors, galleries, and other approved channels. Any additional documentation included with this specific piece will be noted above.
Captain Alan Bean was the lunar module pilot on Apollo 12, the fourth man to walk on the moon and commander of Skylab 2. "I am fortunate enough to have seen sights no other artist ever has," Bean says.
"I want my paintings to communicate an emotional experience in ways that photography cannot."
Captain Bean creates his original works of art using a unique technique allowing the viewer to actually sense vestiges of the 20th century s most dramatic accomplishments. Pressed into the canvas surfaces are Captain Bean s authentic lunar boot "moonprints," impressions from a core tube-bit used to collect soil samples and marks from a hammer used to drive the staff of the American flag into the moon s surface. Moon dust, trapped on the patches on the outside of his suit, makes its way onto each original as well.
Each print and canvas is an historical record of the lunar experience, as each is signed by moonwalker Captain Alan Bean, with most countersigned by other moonwalkers and astronauts.This may be your only chance to own such a visionary and historic celebration of man s greatest achievement. NASA was sometimes asked "Why not send an artist to the moon?" It turns out they did.
Alan Bean—Apollo XII astronaut, commander of Skylab II and artist—was born in 1932 in Wheeler, Texas. In 1950 he was selected for an NROTC scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1955, he was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy. Holder of eleven world records in space and astronautics, as well as numerous national and international honors, Alan Bean has had a most distinguished peacetime career. His awards include two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the Yuri Gagarin Gold Medal and the Robert J. Collier Trophy. As part of the Apollo XII crew, he became the fourth of only twelve men ever to walk on the Moon. As the spacecraft commander of Skylab Mission II, he set a world record: 24,400,000 miles traveled during the 59-day flight. He has also launched himself successfully into a new career as an artist. When he wasn t flying, Bean always enjoyed painting as a hobby. Attending night classes at St. Mary s College in Maryland in 1962, Alan experimented with landscapes. During training and between missions as a test pilot and astronaut, he continued private art lessons. On space voyages, his artist s eye and talent enabled him to document impressions of the Moon and space to be preserved later on canvas. His art reflects the attention to detail of the aeronautical engineer, the respect for the unknown of the astronaut and the unabashed appreciation of a skilled painter. The space program has seen unprecedented achievements and Bean realized that most of those who participated actively in this adventure would be gone in forty years. He knew that if any credible artistic impressions were to remain for future generations, he must paint them now. "My decision to resign from NASA in 1981 was based on the fact that I am fortunate enough to have seen sights no other artist ever has," Bean said, "and I hope to communicate these experiences through art." Bean s book Apollo: An Eyewitness Account which chronicles his first-person experience as an Apollo astronaut in words and paintings was received with critical and popular acclaim upon its publication in 1998.
Each print and canvas is an historical record of the lunar experience, as each is signed by moonwalker Captain Alan Bean, with most countersigned by other moonwalkers and astronauts.This may be your only chance to own such a visionary and historic celebration of man s greatest achievement. NASA was sometimes asked "Why not send an artist to the moon?" It turns out they did.
Alan Bean—Apollo XII astronaut, commander of Skylab II and artist—was born in 1932 in Wheeler, Texas. In 1950 he was selected for an NROTC scholarship at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1955, he was commissioned an ensign in the United States Navy. Holder of eleven world records in space and astronautics, as well as numerous national and international honors, Alan Bean has had a most distinguished peacetime career. His awards include two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the Yuri Gagarin Gold Medal and the Robert J. Collier Trophy. As part of the Apollo XII crew, he became the fourth of only twelve men ever to walk on the Moon. As the spacecraft commander of Skylab Mission II, he set a world record: 24,400,000 miles traveled during the 59-day flight. He has also launched himself successfully into a new career as an artist. When he wasn t flying, Bean always enjoyed painting as a hobby. Attending night classes at St. Mary s College in Maryland in 1962, Alan experimented with landscapes. During training and between missions as a test pilot and astronaut, he continued private art lessons. On space voyages, his artist s eye and talent enabled him to document impressions of the Moon and space to be preserved later on canvas. His art reflects the attention to detail of the aeronautical engineer, the respect for the unknown of the astronaut and the unabashed appreciation of a skilled painter. The space program has seen unprecedented achievements and Bean realized that most of those who participated actively in this adventure would be gone in forty years. He knew that if any credible artistic impressions were to remain for future generations, he must paint them now. "My decision to resign from NASA in 1981 was based on the fact that I am fortunate enough to have seen sights no other artist ever has," Bean said, "and I hope to communicate these experiences through art." Bean s book Apollo: An Eyewitness Account which chronicles his first-person experience as an Apollo astronaut in words and paintings was received with critical and popular acclaim upon its publication in 1998.
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