Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, now 94, arguably the most important living post war and contemporary artist, continues to create compelling art, paintings, drawings, monotypes, limited edition prints and sculpture. Named an American Legend by The New York Times, Jasper Johns has been making headlines since the mid 1950’s. According to The New Yorker "more words may have been written about Jasper Johns than about any other American artist who isn't Andy Warhol".
JASPER JOHNS, ARGUABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT LIVING POST WAR AND CONTEMPORARY ARTIST
Jasper Johns, now 94, arguably the most important living post war and contemporary artist, continues to create compelling art, paintings, drawings, monotypes, limited edition prints and sculpture. Named an American Legend by The New York Times, Jasper Johns has been making headlines since the mid 1950’s. According to The New Yorker "more words may have been written about Jasper Johns than about any other American artist who isn't Andy Warhol". Multi-volume catalogue raisonnes documenting Jasper Johns paintings & sculpture, over 800 drawings and monotypes were published in 2017 and 2018.
Remarkably Jasper Johns has had no fewer than 274 one person exhibitions at museums and galleries since his 1958 debut exhibition of Paintings at the legendary Leo Castelli Gallery. These one person exhibitions included two retrospectives at The Museum of Modern Art in 1986 and 1996 and two retrospectives at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1977 and 2021.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
In 2021 Jasper Johns was celebrated with an unprecedented 7 decade retrospective collaboration from two major museums, The Whitney Museum of American Art and The Philadelphia Museum. Both museums collaborated to present Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror, a simultaneous retrospective exhibition at The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the largest retrospective ever mounted during Jasper Johns' seven decade career. This monumental and historical retrospective included 500 works of Jasper Johns Art, including paintings, limited edition prints, drawings and sculpture exhibited across both museums, many lent from the personal collection of Jasper Johns and shown publicly for the first time.
This joint Jasper Johns retrospective was the Artist's first major retrospective since The Museum of Modern Art hosted Jasper Johns: A Retrospective in 1996. Scott Rothkopf, deputy director and chief curator, The Whitney Museum of American Art and co-curator of Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror said he could think of no similar example of a dual-institution, simultaneous exhibition in this country. Jointly organized by The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror closed at both museums February 13, 2022.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.
In 2020, Jasper Johns was also celebrated with major museum print exhibitions, an exhibition of 100 Unique Prints created over ten days, Jasper Johns: 100 Variations On a Theme at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston that was on view until 2/16/2020; and An Art of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960–2018, a four venue six decade printmaking retrospective of 90 Jasper Johns limited edition prints in intaglio, lithography, woodcut, linoleum cut, screenprinting and lead relief from the collection of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis that continued through 2022.
An Art of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960–2018 venues follow:Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh: October 12, 2019–January 20, 2020
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis: February 16, 2020–January 3, 2021
Tampa Museum of Art, Florida: April 28, 2021–September 5, 2021
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan: October 2, 2021–January 9, 2022
Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York: May 1, 2022–July 31, 2022
In 2018, Jasper Johns had two major museum exhibitions: Jasper Johns: Something Resembling Truth, a six decade retrospective that originated at the Royal Academy, London and traveled to The Broad Museum and a drawing exhibition, The Condition of Being Here: Drawings by Jasper Johns, 50 years of drawings Jasper Johns created from 1954-2016, organized by the Menil Collection, Houston. In 2017, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art hosted Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Love, Loss and the Cycle of Life.
These exhibitions follow the International acclaim Jasper Johns received for Jasper Johns Regrets, a 2014 exhibition organized by The Museum of Modern Art, a series of 20 paintings, watercolors, pastels and prints which traveled to the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere; Ann Tempkin, MoMA chief curator of painting and sculpture, stated Jasper Johns Regrets opens a window to Johns’ creative process.
Jasper Johns has received numerous honors and awards over the last half century; among the most prestigious, JasperJohns received the Golden Lion at the 43rd Venice Biennale in 1988, the National Medal of Arts in 1990 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. In 1973 Johns was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Collection The Art Institute of Chicago
Sold by Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd.
In November 2023, an all time auction world record was established when Jasper Johns Flags, 1986, oil and encaustic on canvas, achieved $41 million at Sotheby’s NY. In 2018, a post-war and contemporary print auction world record was achieved when Jasper Johns Flags I (ULAE 128), 1973 from the signed and numbered limited edition of 65, fetched $1.685 million.
For seven decades, Jasper Johns has been Internationally recognized for his iconic images of Targets, Maps, Flags, Numbers, Crosshatch and Alphabets, right after The Museum of Modern Art, New York acquired Jasper Johns' breakthrough Flag, 1954-55 in 1958, a masterpiece Jasper Johns created by cutting a bedsheet using oil paint and encaustic, a method involving pigmented melted wax.
Renowned for his masterful paintings, Jasper Johns ranks among the world's greatest printmakers, often compared to Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt. For Jasper Johns, printmaking encourages experimentation through the ease with which it allows him to pursue new directions. Jasper Johns innovative contributions to screenprints, etchings, linocuts and lithography have revolutionized the field of prints. Over seven decades Jasper Johns has created over 450 signed, numbered and dated limited print editions, plus scores of unique trial proofs, monotypes, hand colored proofs, etc. Given the seven and eight figure price tag of Jasper Johns works on canvas, Jasper Johns limited edition prints are still quite affordable, many still priced under six figures.
In 2007, The National Gallery of Art acquired 1,700 Jasper Johns Prints comprised of lithographs, etchings, relief prints and screenprints, including unique trial proofs and progressive proofs. The National Gallery of Art now boasts the largest, comprehensive repository of Jasper Johns Prints created by this legendary Artist over his extraordinary seven decade print career.
Significant collections of Jasper Johns Prints can be viewed in hundreds of prestigious museums around the world, including: The Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington, D.C. and Art Institute of Chicago.
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.
View broad selection museum quality Jasper Johns Prints available from Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. including rare impressions of signed, numbered and dated Jasper Johns Prints including iconic works from the Artist's Series of Flags, Maps, Targets, Numbers, Savarin, Crosshatch and Seasons. These Jasper Johns Prints represent the Artist's best collaborations with important major print publishers, including Universal Limited Art Editions (U.L.A.E.), Simca Print Artists, Inc., Petersburg Press, Low Road Studios and Gemini G.E.L.
#JasperJohns: Mind/Mirror, the highly anticipated 65-year double retrospective of 500 paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture opens simultaneously @whitneymuseum & @philamuseum 9/29/2021.https://t.co/loRUmXVkpy
— Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. (@JKLFA) September 9, 2021
