F0llowing Johns’s Lead

Jasper Johns, Flag from Lead Reliefs, 1969, GEL proof from an ed. 60+10AP, collection NGA Rummaging around through the remnants of Gemini GEL’s archive at the NGA, I got caught up by—surprise, surprise—this Jasper Johns Flag, the best from the 1969 Lead Reliefs series. This example entered the NGA’s collection early, in 1981, directly from Gemini. So it’s likely to be in the most pristine condition 57 years in existence will allow. If nothing else, it’s among the most carefully tended. They are made from very soft, cold-rolled lead sheet, 1/64 (0.015) in. thick, worked into the mold. The embossed lead was then backed to a polystyrene backing, which is then laminated to a wood panel. This three-layer sandwich is set in an aluminum frame. So these are ridiculously fragile. verso of Jasper Johns, Flag, 1969, ed. 20/60, sold at Sotheby’s in 2022 And they’re ridiculously susceptible to aging. By design. The label on the back explains it all: “The surface of this lead has been specially…