Color lithograph on Japan paper
USA, 1994
Jasper Johns (b. 1930) – American painter associated with Pop Art and Neo-Dada
‘After Holbein’
Signed and dated in pencil lower right ‘Jasper Johns 94’
Numbered in pencil lower left ‘15/42’
Published by Universal Limited Art Editions, West Islip, New York, with blind stamp lower left
Full margins with deckled edges; framed and matted, floating in mat
Sheet dimensions: 32 ½ x 25 in. (82.6 x 63.5 cm.)
Overall dimensions: 40 ½ x 31 in. (102.9 x 78.7 cm.)
Very good condition

Dark and expressive, this color lithograph on Japan paper is built with layer upon layer of color, with black at the top. Vertical lines run down the image, alluding to wood grains, allowing the profile of a man to be exposed underneath.After Holbein demonstrates Johns’ interest in the German printmaker and artist Hans Holbein (1497-1543); the American artist made three paintings in encaustic was after Holbein’s wash drawingPortrait of a Young Nobleman Holding a Lemur.

Executed in 1994, this color lithograph on Japan paper is signed, dated and numbered fifteen from an edition of forty-two. Published by Universal Limited Art Editions, New York, the work has full margins with deckled edges. The sheet measures 32 ½ x 25 inches. In overall good condition with no stains, toning, tears or repairs.

Jasper Johns (American, b. 1930)

Jasper Johns is well-known for his depictions of letters, numbers, targets and flags. He is one of the pioneers of American Pop Art, but also deeply influenced the development of American Minimalism. Jasper John left his home town Augusta in Georgia in 1952 and moved to New York, where he met important artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage and Merce Cunningham. Shortly after (c. 1954/55) the artist painted his groundbreaking painting ‘Flag’, which launched his worldwide success in 1958, starting with his first solo exhibition at the New York gallery Leo Castelli and followed by his participation at the Biennale in Venice. Jasper Johns’ artistic relevance was finally sealed by the acquisition of three works by the Museum of Modern Art in York. In the 1960s, John's increasingly engaged in printmaking, as it emphasized his interest of serial processes in art. In the 1980s he was primarily interested in realistic figurative depictions (partly with reference to his own biography). Jasper Johns lives and works in New York and his multi-faceted oeuvre is represented in the world’s leading museums of Contemporary Art.