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Article: A wealth of irony in Jasper Johns' art
- Article from:
- Chicago Sun-Times
- Article date:
- November 27, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright (null) Chicago Sun-Times. (Hide copyright information)
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NEW YORK Jasper Johns' 1959 painting "False Start" recently was
auctioned at Sotheby's for $17.5 million, the highest price ever paid
for a work of contemporary art. The previous record-holder was that
self-same Jasper Johns who only the night before had become the world
heavyweight champion when his 1958 "White Flag" brought $7.4 million.
Johns must appreciate the irony. For 30 years he has challenged
and changed the image of art by employing obvious imagery to create
illusive puzzles. In the late '50s, he painted a tall, skinny canvas
using a broom for a brush and then laconically hung it on the picture
along with utensils commonly found around the studio - a cup, a set
of stretcher ...