Question 1

True or false: Jasper Johns 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 was born in New York City.

Accepted Answer

False. Jasper Johns was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1930, and grew up in South Carolina.

Question 4

True or false: Jasper Johns was a student of the artist Andy Warhol.

Accepted Answer

False. Johns and Warhol were contemporaries who knew each other, but Johns never studied under Warhol. Johns studied briefly at the University of South Carolina.

Question 5

True or false: Jasper Johns created the painting 'Flag' in 1954-1955.

Accepted Answer

True. Jasper Johns's iconic work 'Flag' (1954-1955) is one of his earliest and most recognized paintings, using encaustic and collage.

Question 6

True or false: Jasper Johns used encaustic, a wax-based paint, in many of his artworks.

Accepted Answer

True. Encaustic is a technique involving heated beeswax, which Johns employed to create textured surfaces, notably in his flag and target paintings.

Question 7

True or false: Jasper Johns's painting 'Flag' was inspired by the Vietnam War protests.

Accepted Answer

False. 'Flag' was created in 1954-55, years before the Vietnam War escalated; Johns was inspired by a dream of the American flag.

Question 8

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 9

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 10

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 11

True or false: Jasper Johns served as a pilot in the United States Air Force.

Accepted Answer

False. Johns served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, stationed in Japan, but he was not a pilot or in the Air Force.

Question 12

True or false: Jasper Johns was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Accepted Answer

True. President Barack Obama awarded Johns the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011 for his contributions to American art.

Question 13

True or false: Jasper Johns's first solo exhibition was held at the Leo Castelli Gallery in 1958.

Accepted Answer

True. Leo Castelli gave Johns his first solo show in 1958, which was a breakthrough, with works including 'Flag' and 'Target'.

Question 14

True or false: Jasper Johns' painting 'False Start' sold for $80 million in 2006, setting a record at the time for a living artist.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2006, the 1959 work was sold privately by David Geffen to Kenneth Griffin for $80 million, which was then a record price for a living artist.

Question 15

True or false: Jasper Johns designed the set for Merce Cunningham's dance 'Walkaround Time' in 1968.

Accepted Answer

True. Johns created a Duchamp-inspired set for Cunningham's 'Walkaround Time', which premiered in 1968, featuring transparent objects and a replica of Duchamp's 'The Large Glass'.

Question 16

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