Signed and dated lower right. Edition number inscribed lower left within the image.
The reverse has not been examined, as the work has not been removed from the frame.
[0] There is a stain at the left center.
[5] There is a faint stain above left of the signature.
[7] There is a minor stain along the left edge.
[9] There is a stain along the lower edge.

Publisher: Petersburg Press, New York and London



Numbers are not tangible entities like the “flags” or “targets” that have become synonymous with Jasper Johns. They are merely symbols representing the concept of numbers. Yet precisely because they are written according to certain rules, we recognize them as numbers, granting them a high degree of expressive freedom. This made them an ideal subject for him, who repeatedly used the same motif to experiment with various methods of expression. True to his belief that he wished to "keep the meaning of his work free," the deeper significance of the imagery remains shrouded in mystery. Yet, observing how each individual number receives distinct treatment and is imbued with its own character, an endless stream of questions naturally arises — such as why Johns chose to apply a particular pattern to a particular number — and it is precisely this inexhaustible sense of inquiry that gives the work its enduring appeal.