Jasper Johns Value: Top Prices Paid At Auction

Small False Start (1960), a captivating creation by Johns, displays his expertise in collage and encaustic painting techniques. Using torn paper and his trademark wax and pigment mixture, Johns crafts visually striking and technically ambitious artwork. Within it, he explores the relationship between materiality and colour, overlaying stencilled words with paint. Known for his versatility, Johns blends abstraction with conceptualism, incorporating linguistic elements. A notable feature in this work is the deliberate misalignment between words and colours, symbolising artistic innovation. Since its market debut in 1989, Small False Start has garnered acclaim exceeding a substantial price tag of over $4 million (USD). Later, it achieved a momentous milestone in the distinguished Paul G. Allen sale, where it shattered previous auction records for Johns, commanding an impressive price of £4.8 million with fees.

In the November 2023 New York sales, Johns's Flags (1976) made its debut in the secondary market from the esteemed Emily Fisher Landau collection, marking its first appearance since 1987. A testament to both painterly and conceptual prowess, Johns' Flags stands as a monumental emblem within his oeuvre. Crafted using oil and encaustic wax on canvas, Johns' doubles the iconic red, white, and blue palette. Achieving £33.3 million, it became the second-highest lot of the sale, surpassing Johns' previous record set in 2014.

Flag (1960-1966) stands as the pinnacle of Johns' illustrious artistic repertoire. Beyond its commercial facade, this piece holds profound artistic significance, realised through Johns' innovative collage and painting technique, fusing disparate materials from the American flag onto its surface. Initially, it presents as a recognisable symbol of commodification and glorification. Yet, it embodies the pervasive concept of “American-ness” that defined the Post War era, resonating through contemporary culture. Serving as a defining moment in Johns' career, this work has a solo appearance on the secondary market, fetching a remarkable sale at Christie's in May 2010, amid an art market revival, solidifying its status as an invaluable cultural icon fetching £19.1 million.

Gray Rectangles (1957) showcases Johns' encaustic monochrome technique, embodying a pivotal period in his artistic evolution. Noteworthy is Johns' transformative use of encaustic, involving mixing pigments with wax, transcending abstraction to emphasise texture and render the painting as a distinct object. Positioned within the canvas are three rectangles, their presence fragmented yet cohesive. Through paint application, they merge into a unified entity, offering a conceptual perception. Johns explored the interplay between paint and depicted object, presenting the canvas as a sculptural presence. Gray Rectangles achieved £16.2 million (fees included) at Christie's in November 2018, underscoring its significance within Johns' oeuvre.

Making its auction debut, Numbers, conceptualised in 1963 and cast in 1968, presents a series of digits from 0 to 9 sprawled across a silver canvas. Reflecting Johns' transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art, the work explores the interplay between open-ended interpretation, art historical periods, and modern abstraction through its gridded composition and repetition. Emerging from the esteemed Paul G. Allen collection for the first time since 2001 and acquired directly from the artist, this piece fetched £15.4 million, solidifying its position among Johns' most valuable works.

Usuyuki (1979-1981), a later piece by Johns boasting a distinguished Paul G. Allen provenance, emerges a decade post his iconic Flag and False Start series, signalling a persistent exploration of artistic materiality through his signature encaustic technique. This triptych diverges from representational art, delving into non-representation, emphasising repetition and order. Though seemingly minimalist, vibrant energy pulsates within geometric cross-hatching and scattered circles. Johns employs a subdued rainbow palette subtly washed with greys and blues, its significance heightened by the title “Usuyuki,” Japanese for “light snow.” Evoking Post War artists like Pollock, Usuyuki engages with creation's physicality through material selection. At Christie's in November 2022, Usuyuki fetched an impressive £10.4 million with fees.

In the latter part of his esteemed career, Johns revisited his iconic emblem painting, Flag, captivating audiences since its vibrant encaustic rendition in 1960-1966. Six decades later, Johns infused the work with new depth by veiling the once bold colours in a dark grey-scale acrylic wash. This transformative act grants viewers freedom in interpretation, symbolising either a removal of “American-ness” or reflecting socio-political and cultural shifts. Yet, the essence of the work lies in the motif itself, redefined through varied materials. The dark grey palette imbues a lustrous sheen, with silver undertones adding a luxurious touch, offering a fresh perspective on familiar imagery. Flag (1994) achieved a notable sale surpassing £10 million at Sotheby's in November 2008, underscoring its significance in Post War and Contemporary art.

False Start (1959) pulsates with explosive vitality and rich conceptual depth, defying categorisation as purely abstract. Rather, it beckons viewers to decipher its kaleidoscopic colours through linguistic cues, offering layers of interpretation. This series holds profound significance within Johns' artistic journey, inspiring later adaptations and compositions characterised by muted tones. Johns' market prowess has been evident since the 1980s, with his works consistently commanding significant prices. False Start achieved a remarkable £9.5 million (with fees) at Christie's in November 1988, remaining one of Johns' top-selling works.

Johns' Figure Paintings series prompts viewers, as with much of his oeuvre, to perceive the painting as an object unto itself. The series amalgamates colour as material to depict the physicality of a painting, challenging the concept of representation through the depiction of the number “4”. Some pieces in this series feature vibrant colours, while others adopt a monochromatic palette all featuring individual numbers emerging through abstraction. Figure Four (1959) achieved £8.7 million (with fees) at Christie's in May 2007, exemplifying the series' impact and Johns' continued exploration of representation and materiality.

Through mixed media, Decoy (1971) blends visual cues, referencing Johns' False Start and Flag series with stencilled words and gestural paint. Gray rectangles at the bottom echo his Gray Rectangles works. Central to the composition is a Ballantine beer can, famously featured in Johns' Painted Bronze (1960), symbolising Pop Art's exploration of consumerism and reproduction. Decoy serves as a visual diary, encapsulating Johns' artistic essence across different periods. From the prestigious S.I. Newhouse Collection, it fetched £8.6 million (with fees) at Christie's in May 2023, attesting to Johns' enduring influence and appeal among affluent collectors.