Summer (Blue) (ULAE 254)
16 1/4 x 11 1/4 inchesSummer (Blue)
(ULAE 254), 1985-91
paper: 16 1/4 x 11 1/4 inches
image: 9 1/2 x 6 1/4 inches
frame: 17 1/4 x 12 1/4 inches
edition: 225 with 19 AP's & 2 PP's
signed & dated "J Johns 85-91" in pencil lower right
numbered in pencil lower left
published by Brooke Alexander Editions, 1991
printed by ULAE, their blindstamp bottom left
© 2024 Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Literature
Richard Field, The Prints of Jasper Johns 1960-1993: A Catalogue Raisonne, ULAE, New York, 1994, Catalogue Reference ULAE 254, n.p., another impression reproduced in full-page color.
Joan Rothfuss, Past Things and Present: Jasper Johns since 1983, Walker Art Center, Minnesota, 2003, p. 77, another impression reproduced in full-page color.
Exhibited
Brooke Alexander Editions, New York, Jasper Johns: The Seasons, Prints and Related Works, Nov. 9, 1991-Jan. 4, 1992, another impression exhibited.
San Diego Museum of Art, California, Jasper Johns: The Seasons, Prints and Related Works, June 27-August 9, 1992, another impression exhibited.
Galería Weber, Alexander y Cobo, Madrid, Jasper Johns: The Seasons, Prints and Related Works, Sept. 17-Nov. 14, 1992; Fundación Luis Cernuda, Seville; Casa de la Parra, Xunta, Santiago de Compostela; Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca, Palma de Mallorca, another impression exhibited.
Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida, Jasper Johns The Seasons, November 6, 1998-January 3, 1999, another impression exhibited.
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Past Things and Present: Jasper Johns since 1983, Nov. 9, 2003-Feb. 14, 2004, another impression exhibited.
Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, Past Things and Present: Jasper Johns since 1983, Mar. 7- May 30, 2004, another impression exhibited.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Past Things and Present: Jasper Johns since 1983, July 10-Sept. 19, 2004, another impression exhibited.
Institut Valencià d’Art Modern, Valencia, Past Things and Present: Jasper Johns since 1983, Oct. 7, 2004–Jan. 2, 2005, another impression exhibited.
Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, Past Things and Present: Jasper Johns since 1983, February 9, 2005-April 24, 2005, another impression exhibited.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Jasper Johns Mind/Mirror, September 29, 2021 - February 13, 2022, another impression exhibited.
Selected Museum Collections
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Minneapolis Institute of Art, New York
Museum of Modern Art, New York
The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Additional Photos
Full Image
Signature & Date lower right
Edition number & ULAE blinstamp lower left
Jasper Johns Seasons, Summer Blue is an autobiographical reflection of the Artist’s Life. Jasper Johns "assembled artifacts and seasonal symbols to narrate the stages of life and the periods of his career. Johns's "self-portrait shadow, which recurs in all four of the paintings, was inspired by Picasso's painting The Shadow (1953). "
SUMMER BLUE: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL REFLECTION
Jasper Johns Seasons, Summer Blue is an autobiographical reflection of the Artist’s Life. Jasper Johns "assembled artifacts and seasonal symbols to narrate the stages of life and the periods of his career. Johns's "self-portrait shadow, which recurs in all four of the paintings, was inspired by Picasso's painting The Shadow (1953). "
Jasper Johns’ iconic four image series, The Seasons, is a standout example of the artist’s inspired printmaking, layers upon layers of marks and symbolism are most evident in John's iconic four image series, The Seasons, 1987. Based on deeply personal paintings by the same name, this set of etching and aquatints is intermixed with the artist’s personal artifacts and fragmented imagery from earlier works, while depicting the different studios where each painting was created: Stony Point, New York Spring, St. Martin in the French West Indies Summer, Houston Street, New York City Fall and East 63rd Street, New York City Winter.
Museum of Modern Art, New York
What "impels Jasper Johns's heuristic approach to printmaking" is his curiosity about the nature of an image itself, specifically how printmaking transforms a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional representation, where the printed image can only ever be an "image of" something, not the thing itself; this is most evident when comparing a painted flag directly on its support to a printed image of a flag, which is surrounded by a margin and therefore can only be considered a depiction.
Jasper Johns's prints, like his drawings comprise an anthology of familiar motifs from iconic paintings and sculpture, metamorphosed by their transposition from one medium into another. Jasper Johns Seasons Series includes key symbols and iconography created by the Artist, including the red, white and blue American Flag, the Mona Lisa, George Ohr Pottery, as well as the Artist's homage to Pablo Picasso's The Shadow painting.
Specifically, the Jasper Johns Seasons includes key symbols and icons created by the Artist such as the American Flag, the Mona Lisa, George Ohr Pottery, as well as the Artist's homage to Pablo Picasso.
Jasper Johns, arguably the most important living Post War and Contemporary Artist, established an Auction record November 2014, when the Artist's Flag, fetched $36 million at Sotheby's, establishing an all-time Auction world record for the Artist. A new Post-War and Contemporary Print record was also set when Jasper Johns Savarin Monotype (ULAE S36) fetched $1.3 million, from the Estate of Michael Crichton.
#JasperJohns Summer Blue (ULAE 254), 1985-1991, @ULAEstudio color lithograph from Seasons series, published @BAEDITIONS achieved record $5,625 @RagoAuctions 6/16/2021, exceeding $3,000-$4,000 pre-sale estimate. https://t.co/9cjuuX0BEd pic.twitter.com/if7LCaMSSK
— Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. (@JKLFA) June 16, 2021
