Ale Cans
Like many of his contemporaries, Johns was profoundly influenced by the artist Marcel Duchamp and his concept of the readymade, an ordinary, mass-produced object that the artist selects, removes from its functional role, and declares to be art. Yet rather than merely presenting quotidian objects, Johns meticulously created them. One of his earliest such works is Painted Bronze, a 1960 hand-painted bronze sculpture of two cast cans of Ballantine Ale. Allegedly inspired by the artist Willem de Kooning’s snide remark that Leo Castelli, Johns’s dealer, was so skilled he could sell two beer cans, the sculpture was promptly sold and the ale cans became one of Johns’s most recognizable motifs. They reappear throughout his work in a variety of media over several decades, such as here.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ale Cans
- Artist: Jasper Johns (American, born Augusta, Georgia, 1930)
- Publisher: Published by Universal Limited Art Editions
- Date: 1964
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: Sheet: 22 5/8 x 17 7/8 in. (57.5 x 45.4 cm)
- Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Florence and Joseph Singer Collection, 1965
- Object Number: 65.674.1
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Jasper Johns
Gemini G.E.L.
1969
Multiple artists/makers
1967
Multiple artists/makers
1967, published in 1st Etchings, 2nd State 1967–69
Jasper Johns
Universal Limited Art Editions
1967–68
Jasper Johns
Gemini G.E.L.
1969
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.