Question 1

True or false: He was a pioneer of the 'drip painting' technique popularized by Jackson Pollock.

Accepted Answer

False. Johns used encaustic and stencils, not drip painting; that technique is exclusive to Abstract Expressionists like Pollock.

Question 2

True or false: Jasper Johns was born in 1930 in New York City and studied at the Art Students League.

Accepted Answer

False. Johns was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1930, and studied briefly at the University of South Carolina, not the Art Students League.

Question 3

True or false: Jasper Johns famously painted the American flag after dreaming about it.

Accepted Answer

True. Johns said he dreamed of painting the American flag, which inspired his iconic 1954-55 work 'Flag'.

Question 4

True or false: Johns destroyed most of his early works before 1954, leaving very few surviving pieces.

Accepted Answer

True. Frustrated with his early output, Johns burned or destroyed nearly all of his pre-1954 work.

Question 5

True or false: Johns was a close friend and collaborator of pop artist Andy Warhol.

Accepted Answer

False. Though they moved in similar circles, Johns and Warhol were not close friends; Johns was more connected to Robert Rauschenberg.

Question 6

True or false: His painting 'False Start' sold for over $80 million in 2006, a record at the time.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2006, 'False Start' fetched $80 million at auction, then a record for a living artist.

Question 7

True or false: Johns designed a set for Merce Cunningham's dance 'RainForest' in 1968.

Accepted Answer

True. Johns created the silver-painted pillow sculptures for Cunningham's 'RainForest', blending art and dance.

Question 8

True or false: Johns also composed avant-garde music under the pseudonym 'J.J. Johnson'.

Accepted Answer

False. No evidence exists of Johns composing music; this myth likely confuses him with jazz trombonist J.J. Johnson.

Jasper Johns Trivia Questions