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42 1/4" x 60 5/8" Encaustic, oil, and collage on fabric mounted on plywood
1954-55 (dated on reverse 1954)
Gift of Philip Johnson in honor of Alfred H. Barr, Jr.
Museum of Modern Art, New York
© 2011 Jasper Johns / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
"In its stilled lucidity lurk half-readable stories: the small-fry stuff of yesterday's papers, or important events? Do they add up to some secret meaning? There is the sense of many lives, many narratives hidden beneath the common identity of Americans. This painting, this artwork, is like a great American novel. It captures in its monumental ghostly depths the intricate truths every simple facade conceals. Who are Americans? What are they like? The truth lies deeper than the stars and stripes."
- Jonathan Jones (The Guardian)
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The truth beneath Jasper Johns' stars and stripes
