Figure 7

Color lithograph on wove paper, realized in 1969.

Image dimension: 70.5x55; Sheet dimension 94.3x76 cm.

Hand signed and dated in pencil lower right "J. Johns / 68".

Edition of 6/70, hand numbered on the left.

Blindstamp of Gemini G.E.L. lower right, on the reverse with the work nuber "68-196" and the stamp in blue.

Very good condition, except for a scratch on the reverse at the top in the centre. Slight discolourations and signs of use in the paper. Studio traces lower right.

Overall in very fine print quality and very good paper condition

Ref. Field 51; Catalogue Rasonné Gemini G.E.L. 26.8

Prov. Personal Collection Eberhard Kornfeld, stamp on the reverse Lugt 913b

Figure 7 belongs to Jasper Johns’ seminal Numbers series, where the artist transforms the everyday language of signs into painterly and graphic form. Johns’ fascination with numerals stems from their dual nature: instantly recognizable symbols that nonetheless carry infinite formal and expressive possibilities when explored through repetition, variation, and medium.

In this lithograph, the numeral 7 emerges against a richly textured field of gestural brushstrokes and tonal layering. The expressive black marks create a tension between structure and spontaneity, reflecting Johns’ unique balance between conceptual rigor and painterly abstraction.