Target with Four Faces (ULAE 203)
29 7/8 x 22 1/8 inchesTarget with Four Faces
(ULAE 203), 1979
paper: 29 7/8 x 22 1/8 inches
image: 23 1/2 x 18 1/4 inches
frame: 31 3/8 x 23 3/4 inches
edition: 88 with 13 AP's & 2 PP's
signed & dated in pencil "J Johns '79" lower right
numbered in pencil lower left
printed by Atelier Crommelynck
published by Petersburg Press, New York
© 2024 Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Literature
Judith Goldman, Jasper Johns Prints 1977-1981, Thomas Segal Gallery, Boston, MA, 1981, n.p., Segal 17, another impression reproduced full page black and white.
Richard Field, The Prints of Jasper Johns 1960-1993: A Catalogue Raisonne, ULAE, New York, 1994, Catalogue Reference ULAE 203, n.p., another impression reproduced in full-page color.
Carlos Basualdo, Scott Rothkopf, Jasper Johns Mind/Mirror, Whitney Museum of American Art, 2021, another impression reproduced plate 30, pg. 294.
Elizabeth Armstrong, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, Walker Art Center, 1990, pgs. 64-65, another impression reproduced in full-page color.
Exhibited
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Jasper Johns: A Print Retrospective, May 19–Aug 19, 1986, another impression exhibited.
Walker Art Center, Minnesota, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, February 18-May 13, 1990, another impression exhibited.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, June 17-August 19, 1990, another impression exhibited.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Fransisco, San Francisco, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, September 15-November 18, 1990, another impression exhibited.
Montreal Museum of Art, Montreal, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, December 14, 1990-March 10, 1991, another impression exhibited.
Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, April 6-May 27, 1991, another impression exhibited.
Center for the Fine Arts, Miami, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, June 22-August 18, 1991, another impression exhibited.
The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, September 14-November 10, 1991, another impression exhibited.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Jasper Johns Mind/Mirror, September 29, 2021-February 13, 2022, other impressions exhibited.
Seletced Museum Collections
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
National Gallery of Art, Australia
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Additional Photos
Image Detail
Signature & Date lower right
Edition Number lower left
A master printmaker since 1960, Jasper Johns Target with Four Faces, 1979 color etching, soft ground, aquatint is one of the Artist's most iconic images; without question, considered an important example from his Target series. Jasper Johns worked closely with Aldo Crommelynck on this print, whose virtuosic command of traditional techniques coaxed the best out of European artists including Picasso, Braque and Matisse, and later helped younger American artists like Jim Dine and Jasper Johns.
JASPER JOHNS TARGET FOUR FACES
A master printmaker since 1960, Jasper Johns Target with Four Faces, 1979 color etching, soft ground, aquatint is one of the Artist's most iconic images; without question, considered an important example from his Target series. Jasper Johns worked closely with Aldo Crommelynck on this print, whose virtuosic command of traditional techniques coaxed the best out of European artists including Picasso, Braque and Matisse, and later helped younger American artists like Jim Dine and Jasper Johns.
Target is among images that first brought Jasper Johns fame, endlessly reproduced in the half century since he painted them. Target with Four Faces, 1955, now in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, and Target, 1961, which is now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, were both painted in encaustic, an ancient tradition requiring heating wax, brushing it on evenly as one would frost a cake. They, have themselves become a form of advertising, a logo for American postwar art. Before Joseph K. Levene established Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd., he was President/COO, Petersburg Press, Inc. In 1989, Joseph K. Levene had the distinct privilege of selling the aforementioned Target, 1961, encaustic on canvas, to a private collector in Japan, who a decade later sold it to the late Stefan T. Edlis.
Target with Four Faces, 1955
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Noted Johns expert Roberta Bernstein, Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of Albany, State University of New York, the foremost scholar of Jasper Johns art, and author, of several authoritative Jasper Johns monographs, including Jasper Johns: Catalogue Raisonne of Painting and Sculpture remarked upon first viewing Jasper Johns Flag and Target: "My trust in my perceptions was shaken up. This happened with the flags and targets that initially looked like the objects themselves and then became something else when looking at their surfaces."
As Johns explained, the imagery derives from "things the mind already knows," utterly familiar icons such as Flags, Targets, Numbers and Maps. Of those four earliest icons that occupy his work, the Target is Johns' most abstract image, representing something anonymous and universal, the familiar target continues to appear in Johns' work.
Printmaking had a profound effect on Johns’s artistic career. The variety of techniques allowed the Artist to refine and hone his ideas. Johns has worked with and continues to work with many of the most esteemed and talented technical printmakers of the 20th century, including Atelier Crommelynck, Petersburg Press, Gemini G.E.L., Universal Limited Art Editions, John Lund, Low Road Studios and Simca Print Artists.
Other Target images were included in Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror, the simultaneous Jasper Johns retrospective jointly organized at the Philadelphia Museum and The Whitney Museum of American Art. This massive exhibition was the largest retrospective exhibition ever devoted to the Artist. From his iconic flags to lesser-known and recent works, the exhibition featured paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints-nearly 500 artworks across the two museums, many of which are from Johns’s personal collection and shown publicly for the first time. Inspired by the Jasper Johns’ long-standing fascination with mirroring and doubles, each half of the exhibition acts as a reflection of the other, inviting viewers to look closely to discover the themes, methods, and coded visual language that echo across the two venues.
May 19, 1986–August 19, 1986, The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York.
Photograph by Mali Olatunji
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.
