Jasper Johns Art for Sale: Prints & Originals

Jasper
Johns

Jasper Johns is a prominent American multimedia artist who is best known for his depictions of flags. His innovative use of materials and exploration of symbolism have made him a central figure in contemporary art. If you’re looking for Johns original prints and editions for sale or would like to sell, request a complimentary valuation and browse our network’s most in-demand works.

Biography

Jasper Johns was born on May 15, 1930, in Augusta, Georgia. He grew up in South Carolina and had limited early exposure to art, but began drawing at age three. After moving to New York in 1949, he briefly studied at Parsons School of Design, and was drafted to join the army during the Korean War in 1951, having served for two years. Johns' early work was experimental, blending techniques and media, which later became a hallmark of his style.

Johns rose to prominence in the late 1950s with his groundbreaking Flag series, a departure from the abstract expressionism dominant at the time that catapulted him into the spotlight. Johns' focus on symbols like flags, targets, maps and numbers was not just a stylistic choice but also a deep exploration of themes like patriotism, identity, symbolism and the role of art in society. His technique, often using encaustic (a wax-based paint) combined with collage and the inclusion of tangible objects like newspaper, adds a textural and almost three-dimensional quality to his work.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Johns continued to evolve and became more abstract and introspective, often incorporating elements of his personal life and emotions. In the 1980s, he began using a wider variety of materials. His later works are characterised by a complex layering of images and references, ranging from personal to the art-historical. Johns has been recognised with numerous awards and honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Johns remains a vital figure in contemporary art, continually provoking thought and redefining the boundaries of artistic expression.

Johns has stated that the only artworks he saw during his childhood were the landscapes done by his paternal grandfather’s first wife. Nevertheless, his stepmother often bought him supplies and encouraged his artistic habit, leading him to study briefly at the University of South Carolina before moving to New York City in the early 1950s after being encouraged by his professors. After his period in the army, Johns met Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham and John Cage, forming a collaborative circle that profoundly influenced his artistic development. Johns and Rauschenberg were a couple for the better part of a decade, a significant relationship that would shape and inspire many of their artworks. It was Rauschenberg’s studio that gallery owner Leo Castelli was visiting in 1957, when he first became exposed to Johns’ work. He immediately offered the latter a solo show, which was held in 1958 and featured eighteen artworks – sixteen of which were sold. Three of those paintings were purchased by Alfred H. Barr Jr., the founding director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and were the first works by Johns to ever enter a museum collection.

Following this meteoric rise, Johns began working with sculptures, which he would continue for the next several decades. He has also extensively experimented with prints, having created these utilising a variety of techniques including lithographs and screen prints. He now has his own printmaking studio at his home. Johns' influence extends beyond his artworks; he played a crucial role in the development of Pop Art and Minimalism, and his approach to art-making helped pave the way for Conceptual Art.

Johns’ work has consistently been among some of the most valuable in the art market. In 1980, the Whitney Museum of American Art paid $1 million for Three Flags, then the highest price ever paid for the work of a living artist. Less than a decade later, in 1988, his painting False Start sold for $17.05 million at Sotheby’s, also the highest price ever paid for a work by a living artist at auction. The same painting set the same record when sold again in 2006, this time for $80 million. A 2010 private sale of the work Flag once again set a record for highest price for a living artist, with the value being reported at $110 million. In 2014, a 1983 version of a Flag was auctioned for $36 million, setting an auction record for the artist.
Johns' decision to destroy his earlier works before 1954 marked a pivotal moment in his career, reflecting a profound shift in his artistic vision and approach. Before this, Johns' work was largely influenced by the prevailing artistic trends of the time, notably Abstract Expressionism. However, he found himself increasingly dissatisfied with his creations, feeling they lacked a distinct identity and did not adequately express his artistic voice.
In a bold and almost cathartic move, Johns destroyed nearly all of his artwork created before 1954. This act signified not just the physical destruction of his earlier pieces but also a symbolic break from his past influences and techniques. It was as if Johns was clearing the canvas of his career, ready to embark on a new and more authentic path. This decision is often seen as a rejection of the then-dominant style, which emphasised spontaneous and gestural creations. Johns sought a different direction, one that engaged more directly with the objecthood of art and the representation of everyday items.
Freed from his previous style, Johns began experimenting with new subjects and methods, leading to the creation of his famous Flag paintings in 1954. These works marked a significant departure from his earlier art. By focusing on mundane, recognisable objects with deeply embedded meaning like the American flag, Johns challenged the existing notions of what art could be. His use of familiar imagery posed questions about perception, reality, and representation, setting the stage for the emergence of movements like Pop Art and Neo-Dada.
Johns' iconic series of Flag paintings, created from the mid-1950s onwards, stands as a profound commentary on the American dream and its complexities, especially in the context of the post-World War II era. Johns' military service during the Korean War was a significant influence on his worldview, providing a firsthand perspective on the realities of national identity and the sacrifices it entailed. This experience deeply informed his artistic exploration of the American flag as a subject. By depicting it in a way that was both familiar and jarring, Johns seemed to be commenting on the nature of these ideals – how they are perceived versus how they are experienced. This was particularly poignant in the context of the 1950s and 1960s, a period marked by intense political and social change in the United States. Issues like civil rights, the Cold War and the aftermath of World War II were causing many to question and reevaluate the American dream.
Johns' choice of the flag as a central motif was revolutionary for several reasons. Firstly, it marked a stark departure from the Abstract Expressionism that dominated the art scene at the time. Instead of the emotive, spontaneous brushwork characteristic of that movement, Johns presented a familiar, everyday object in a new light. The flag is laden with layers of meaning and symbolism, often associated with patriotism and national pride. Presenting these in a neutral, almost impersonal manner, Johns invites viewers to reconsider the flag not just as a symbol but as an object – an almost sacrilegious thing to do in the United States. His technique contributed to the thematic impact, as his use of encaustic paint – combined with collage elements like newspaper clippings – added a textured, sometimes almost decaying quality to some of the flag images. This method could be interpreted as a visual metaphor for the crumbling or questioning of the American dream: the idea that beneath the surface of national pride and unity were complexities and contradictions.