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Artists Reimagining the Collection
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Open 10:00–5:00

Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Through September 5
Exhibitions & Events
America’s 250th

Celebrating American art and artists
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

Words [trial proof 10]

1976

Jasper Johns

Associated Names

Jasper Johns

Artist, American, born 1930

Aldo Crommelynck

Printer, French, 1931 - 2008

Petersburg Press

Publisher

The image features vertical and horizontal lines forming a grid-like pattern as a backdrop for an assortment of letters and words. The letters are arranged in neat rows and columns, giving the appearance of being both organized and chaotic. This abstract composition resembles a word puzzle or a dense text block, with some parts shaded more heavily, creating an interplay of light and dark areas. Words like "BUTTOCK," "KNEE," and "FACE" are visible, evoking connections to parts of the body.

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Artwork overview

Medium

drypoint and lift-ground aquatint in black on wove paper [trial proof]
Credit Line

Patrons' Permanent Fund and Special Friends of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

plate: 26.7 × 43.9 cm (10 1/2 × 17 5/16 in.)
sheet: 33.3 × 50.3 cm (13 1/8 × 19 13/16 in.)
Accession Number

2008.136.187
Catalogue Raisonné

ULAE, no. 173 [trial proof 10]

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

the artist, Sharon, Connecticut; acquired 2008 by the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Johns, Jasper

Bibliography

1978

Field, Richard S. Jasper Johns: Prints 1970-1977. Middletown, Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press, 1978, no.

1994

Field, Richard S. The Prints of Jasper Johns, 1960-1993: A Catalogue Raisonné. West Islip, New York: Universal Limited Art Editions, 1994, no. 173.

Inscriptions

lower right in graphite: J Johns; lower left in graphite: TRIAL PROOF 10/10

Wikidata ID

Q76439640

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