Flag

Working in encaustic on canvas, Jasper Johns created this Flag in 1954-55 at age 24, inspired by a dream of the American flag. The 42 by 60-inch canvas uses encaustic, a wax-based medium, over newspaper collage on fabric mounted to plywood. The layered technique allows viewers to glimpse fragments of newspaper beneath the painted surface.

By choosing such a familiar, everyday object, Johns challenged viewers to reconsider what makes art valuable. The flag eliminated subjective color choices: the subject dictated red, white, and blue. This conceptual approach marked a watershed moment, bridging Abstract Expressionism and the emerging Pop Art movement.

The original 1954-55 version resides at MoMA. A 1960 variant from author Michael Crichton's collection sold at Christie's in 2010 for $28.6 million, then a record for the artist.