0-9
Jasper Johns
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Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns

0-9, A Set of 10 Numerals

8 3/8 x 6 inches each
Jasper Johns

0-9, A Set of 10 Numerals
(ULAE 156-165), 1975

set of ten etchings on Barcham Green paper
paper: 8 3/8 x 6 inches each
image: 2 1/2 x 2 1/8 inches
edition of 100 with 20 AP’s numbered in Roman Numerals & 2 PP’s
each signed and dated in pencil "J Johns '75" lower right recto
each numbered in pencil in center recto
each with Jasper Johns watermark signature
printed by Atelier Crommelynck
published by Petersburg Press, 1975

Literature
Richard Field, Jasper Johns Prints 1970-1977, Wesleyan University, Middletown, 1978, Catalogue Reference 207, p. 103, another impression of each reproduced in black and white.
Shigeo Chiba, Jasper Johns Prints Exhibition 1960–1989, Tokyo, 1990, Japan Art and Culture Association/Kokusai Geijutsu Bunka Shinkokai, n.p., plate 14-21, another impression of each reproduced.
Richard Field, The Prints of Jasper Johns 1960-1993: A Catalogue Raisonne, ULAE, New York, 1994, Catalogue Reference ULAE 156-165, n.p. another impression of each reproduced in black & white; Figure 0 and Figure 4, each reproduced in full page black & white.
Susan Lorence, Technique and Collaboration in the Prints of Jasper Johns, Castelli Gallery, New York, 1996, Catalogue Reference 20a-20j, n.p., another impression of each reproduced in black and white.
Roberta Bernstein, Carter E. Foster, Jasper Johns Numbers, Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003, pg. 81, another impression of each reproduced in color.
Riva Castleman, Jasper Johns: A Print Retrospective, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1990, p. 141, another impression of each reproduced in color.

Exhibited
The Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Prints Exhibition 1960–1989, Traveled to The Seibu Department Store, Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, April 26th—May 15th, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Niigata, June 7-19, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Urawa, July 18-24, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Matsudo, August 9—August 14, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Shizuoka, August 23—August 28, 1990, another impression exhibited.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Jasper Johns: A Print Retrospective, May 19–Aug 19, 1986, another impression exhibited.
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Jasper Johns Numbers, 2003, October 26, 2003-January 11, 2004, another impression exhibited.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Jasper Johns Numbers, 2004, February 1-April 18, 2004, another impression exhibited.

Selected Museum Collections
The Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
The Whitney Museum of Art, New York
The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
The National Gallery of Art, Australia
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland

The Jasper Johns 0-9, set of 10 Numerals (ULAE 156-165), 1975 etchings on Barcham Green paper is in pristine condition and each Jasper Johns 0-9 etching is unframed; the set of ten 0-9 Numerals is particularly fresh and without the usual condition issues as this set has never been framed, hinged or matted since it was originally published five decades ago. Each of the ten Jasper Johns Numeral etchings, from “0” (ULAE 156), 1975 through “9” (ULAE 165), 1975, is not only printed on an individual sheet of Barcham Green paper but each 0-9 etching is also signed, dated and numbered by Jasper Johns in pencil to stand alone. However, the full impact of the "0" through "9" progression of Numerals is best when the Set of ten numeral etchings is displayed either in two rows of five - "0 through 4" and "5 through 9", or a single row of ten etchings, beginning with "0" and ending with “9”.

JASPER JOHNS 0-9 SET OF TEN NUMERALS

The Jasper Johns 0-9 set of Ten Numeral etchings is exceptionally fresh and bright and in overall excellent condition. Each of the Ten Jasper Johns Numeral etchings, from "0" through "9", is printed on an individual sheet of Barcham Green Paper to stand alone.

The Jasper Johns 0-9, set of 10 Numerals (ULAE 156-165), 1975 etchings on Barcham Green paper is in pristine condition and each Jasper Johns 0-9 etching is unframed; the set of ten 0-9 Numerals is particularly fresh and without the usual condition issues as this set has never been framed, hinged or matted since it was originally published five decades ago. Each of the ten Jasper Johns Numeral etchings, from “0” (ULAE 156), 1975 through “9” (ULAE 165), 1975, is not only printed on an individual sheet of Barcham Green paper but each 0-9 etching is also signed, dated and numbered by Jasper Johns in pencil to stand alone. However, the full impact of the "0" through "9" progression of Numerals is best when the Set of ten numeral etchings is displayed either in two rows of five - "0 through 4" and "5 through 9", or a single row of ten etchings, beginning with "0" and ending with “9”.

Jasper Johns 0-9 2008

Jasper Johns
0–9, 2008, Aluminum

Jasper Johns has been creating art with Numbers since the mid 50’s. Jasper Johns 0-9 Numbers is arguably the most important series in the Artist’s entire graphic oeuvreand most certainly one of the most significant in modern printmaking.

Famous for his appropriation of everyday symbols, Jasper Johns’ involvement with creating art with numbers has been consistent for the last five decades. Jasper Johns initial creation of art with numbers flourished in the mid 1950’s through the 1960’s; most significantly Jasper Johns has returned to creating paintings, works on paper, sculpture and prints with numbers in each of the decades since; in 2007-2009 Jasper Johns created an extraordinary series of 0-9 numbers in silver, aluminum and bronze and in 2012 Jasper Johns created 0-9 monotype and lithography editions, the monotypes were exhibited in 2014 in Jasper Johns: Regrets at The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Jasper Johns has executed more variations on numbers than any other subject including the first and best known of his signature images, the red, white and blue American flag. Jasper Johns variation of numbers include over 65 paintings and sculpture, 63 works on paper and 25 series and individual limited edition prints with numbers.

It wasn’t until 1963 when adequate supplies of handmade paper that became available that Jasper Johns created his first suite of 10 numbers at U.LA.E., Jasper Johns 0-9 Numbers, (ULAE 19), 1963, a suite of 10 lithographs on Angoumois paper.

Installation view Jasper Johns Set of Ten 0-9 Monotypes

Installation view Jasper Johns Set of Ten 0-9 Monotypes at Jasper Johns: Regrets, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 15, 2014–September 1, 2014

Robert Rosenblum, professor, curator, critic and author, was one of the first scholars to write about Jasper Johns’ use of numerals, targets and the alphabet. Rosenblum wrote in 1963 that Johns’ "...flags and targets, numbers and letters... heroically attempt to find again those qualities of ritualistic beauty, symbolism and discipline once provided to artist and public by standardized classical and Christian iconography.”

Jasper Johns Mind/Mirror at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Jasper Johns Numbers installation at Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Johns chose a typeface that had deliberately little context in itself, indeed this was precisely "what I like about them," he has said, "that they come that way" (Johns, quoted in R. Francis, p. 29). The numbers were a form of readymade writing. In 0-9, however, this is not the case: Johns has instilled his own sense of the ideal number form into the work. As in his paintings of the Flags, Johns has painstakingly created a distant and impersonal picture, rendering his own idea of the ideal, unspecific numeral. The distant, or universal, nature of the subject matter appears to jar with the incredibly detailed manipulation of the etching plate, which has a great presence on the paper, a feeling of true substance. However, it is precisely this combination of the artist's palpable efforts in creating the work and the arbitrary nature of the subject matter that highlights Johns' roleand success, in creating a universal image.

The condition of Jasper Johns prints plays a pivotal role in preserving the integrity and value of these artworks. The presence of mat staining, fox marks and attenuated colors can significantly impact the overall aesthetic and historical integrity of these artworks. When considering a purchase of a Jasper Johns print, it is crucial to be wary of dealers who claim prints are in good condition despite such issues, as this may be a deliberate attempt to mislead buyers. Transparency is imperative in the art market and dealers who purposefully omit condition details are not acting in the best interest of the collector. It is also advisable to avoid dealers who artificially enhance colors in photos, distorting the true condition of the artwork. Choosing dealers who provide accurate representations, even if it reveals imperfections, ensures that buyers make well-informed decisions, maintaining the authenticity and value of Jasper Johns prints over time.

The set of ten 0-9 (ULAE 156-165), 1975 etchings on Barcham Green paper that is available from Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. is truly exceptional as it looks as good today as it did fifty years ago when Jasper Johns originally signed, dated and numbered each of the ten prints. Like most sets of numerals in museums, this set that is currently available is without question, museum quality for Jasper Johns print collectors who appreciate and understand the importance of collecting prints that are essentially as good as they get!