Target (ULAE 147)
34 7/8 x 27 3/8 inchesTarget (ULAE 147), 1974
paper: 34 7/8 x 27 3/8 inches
frame: 35 1/4 x 28 3/4 inches
edition: 70 + 9 AP's
signed & dated "J. Johns ‘74" in pencil lower right
numbered in pencil lower left
with the Simca Print Artists, Inc., blindstamp, lower left
printed by Simca Print Artists, Inc., New York
published by Jasper Johns and Simca Print Artists, New York
© 2024 Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Provenance
Jasper Johns and Simca Print Artists, New York
Matthew Marks Gallery, New York
Private Collection, New York
Literature
Richard Field, Jasper Johns Prints 1970-1977, Wesleyan University, Middletown, 1978, Catalogue Reference 192, p. 95, another impression reproduced in black and white.
Reba and Dave Williams, The Early History of the Screenprint, Print Quarterly Vol. 3, no. 4 (1986): 290, no. 177., another impression reproduced.
Reba and Dave Williams, American Screenprints, Exhibition catalogue, National Academy of Design, New York, 1987: no. 1., another impression reproduced.
Reba and Dave Williams, American Screenprints from the Collection of Reba and Dave Williams, Exhibition catalogue, New York, 1991: 3, no. 1., another impression reproduced.
Shigeo Chiba, Jasper Johns Prints Exhibition 1960-1989, Tokyo, 1990, Japan Art and Culture Association/Kokusai Geijutsu Bunka Shinkokai, n.p., plate 34, another impression reproduced.
Richard Field, The Prints of Jasper Johns 1960-1993: A Catalogue Raisonne, ULAE, New York, 1994, Catalogue Reference ULAE 147, n.p., another impression reproduced in full-page color.
Riva Castleman Jasper Johns: A Print Retrospective, New York: The Museum of Modern Art; Boston: New York Graphic Society, Books/Little Brown and Company, 1986, pg 96, another impression reproduced in full-page color.
Reba and Dave Williams, American Screenprints from the Collection of Reba and Dave Williams, Exhibition catalogue, New York, 1991, no. 1, another impression reproduced in color.
Roberta Bernstein, Jasper Johns The Screenprints, Fisher Landau Center, 1996, plate 11, n.p., another impression reproduced in color.
Exhibited
The Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo, Prints Exhibition 1960-1989, Traveled to The Seibu Department Store, Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, April 26th—May 15th, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Niigata, June 7-19, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Urawa, July 18-24, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Matsudo, August 9—August 14, 1990, Isetan Department Store, Shizuoka, August 23—August 28, 1990, another impression exhibited.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Jasper Johns: A Print Retrospective, May 19-Aug 19, 1986, Traveled to Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Wiener Secession; Fort Worth Art Museum; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Hara Museum, Gunma-Ken, Japan; National Museum of Art, Osaka; and Kitakyushu City Museum of Art, Japan, another impression exhibited.
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, An Art of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960-2018, October 12-January 20, 2020, another impression exhibited; exhibition traveled to these venues:
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, February 16, 2020-January 3, 2021
Tampa Art Museum, Florida, April 28-September 5, 2021
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan, October 2-January 9, 2022
Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York, April 23-July 10, 2022
Selected Museum Collections
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
Davison Art Center, Middletown
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle
Additional Photos
Full Sheet
Detail of Signature & Date lower right
A master printmaker since 1960, Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974 color screenprint is one of the Artist's most iconic prints; without question, considered an important example from his Target series. Technically, Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974 color screenprint has the similar complexity of Jasper Johns unique encaustic works on canvas, which have a rich depth or layering. Jasper Johns has mastered the screenprinting technique utilizing 27 color screens, that mimic the layering achieved in his series of encaustic paintings.
THE ENDURING LEGACY OF JASPER JOHNS TARGET SERIES
A master printmaker since 1960, Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974 color screenprint is one of the Artist's most iconic prints; without question, considered an important example from his Target series. Technically, Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974 color screenprint has the complexity of Jasper Johns unique encaustic works on canvas which have a rich depth or layering. In this print, Jasper Johns has mastered the screenprinting technique utilizing 27 color screens that mimic the layering achieved in his encaustic paintings.
Stunning visually, Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974 is among the most complex screenprints published during the Artist's extraordinary seven decades of creating limited edition prints. Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974 is so successfully created, this masterful print resembles a Jasper Johns unique work on paper, right down to the multiple drips of paint which is why it appeals to both print and painting collectors.
Jasper Johns' iconic Target is one of the first images that brought Jasper Johns International fame, repeatedly reproduced in the last half century. Jasper Johns Target Four Faces, 1955, now in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art and Jasper Johns Target, 1961, now in the collection of The Art Institute of Chicago, are each painted in encaustic, an ancient tradition requiring heating wax, brushing it on evenly as one would frost a cake. These paintings are so famous they have become a symbol for American Post War Art. Before Joseph K. Levene established Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd., he was President & Chief Operating Officer, Petersburg Press, Inc. In 1989, Joseph K. Levene was privileged to sell the aforementioned Jasper Johns Target, 1961, encaustic on canvas, to a private Japanese collector, who a decade later sold it to the late Stefan T. Edlis who with his wife, Gael Neeson, donated the masterpiece to The Art Institute of Chicago.
Roberta Bernstein, Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Albany, State University of New York, the foremost Jasper Johns scholar 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, each masterful encaustic on canvas works: “My trust in my perceptions was shaken up. This happened with the Artist's Flags and Targets that initially looked like the objects themselves and then became something else when looking at their surfaces.”
May 19, 1986-August 19, 1986
The Museum of Modern Art, New York; installation view
Over the last four decades, multiple impressions of Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974 have been included in numerous Jasper Johns museum retrospectives including Jasper Johns: A Print Retrospective, the 1986 Print Retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, curated by the legendary Riva Castleman featuring 175 Jasper Johns lithographs, screenprints, etchings and monotypes.
An impression of Johns Target, 1974 was included in An Art of Changes: Jasper Johns Prints, 1960-2018 exhibit organized by the Walker Art Center, one of 90 prints that travelled to five museums in the United States, including:
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, October 12-January 20, 2020
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, February 16, 2020-January 3, 2021
Tampa Art Museum, Florida, April 28-September 5, 2021
Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan, October 2-January 9, 2022
Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York, April 23-July 10, 2022
An impression of Jasper Johns Target, (ULAE 147), 1974, consigned by the estate of Paul Allen, achieved an auction world record selling for $415,800 at Christie's New York, November 10, 2022. A recognized Jasper Johns authority, Joseph K. Levene Fine, Art, Ltd., a recognized authority on Jasper Johns, has sold several impressions of Jasper Johns Target (ULAE 147), a 1974 color screenprint, to discerning private collectors. The gallery is currently offering a museum quality Jasper Johns Target (ULAE 147), 1974 impression from the regular numbered edition of 70. In pristine condition, this museum quality impression has particularly vibrant, fresh colors, making it an extraordinary acquisition opportunity.
#JasperJohns Simca Target signed, numbered & dated 1974 color screenprint fetches $315,000, including buyer's premium, doubling low estimate @Phillipsedition, October 19, 2021. https://t.co/HgQKXYnItT pic.twitter.com/YwnZDSQohb
— Joseph K. Levene Fine Art, Ltd. (@JKLFA) October 19, 2021
The condition of Jasper Johns prints is crucial to preserve their integrity and not impede upside value. The presence of mat stains, foxing, prior over-matting and faded colors can signficantly diminish value and should be carefully scrutinized by collectors. Before purchasing any Jasper Johns print, it is essential to avoid art dealers who falsely claim prints are in "perfect" condition while concealing multiple flaws. Transparency is key; dealers who omit critical details about a print's condition are not acting in the collector's best interest.
Collectors should also be cautious of dealers who manipulate photographs to artificially enhance colors, creating a false representation of the artwork’s true state. Choosing reputable dealers who provide honest and accurate descriptions—even if imperfections are disclosed—is vital so fine art buyers make well-informed decisions. By prioritizing transparency and authenticity, collectors can safeguard their investments and not impede the possiblity of upside appreciation.
