Jasper Johns, Two Flags (Whitney Anniversary), 1979

My wife and I were driving home from a Bastille Day party today when I noticed this poster, framed, by the side of the road with a couple of chairs. I remarked on it (knew what it was right away), and she suggested we turn around and take a closer look, which we did. When we got there, there was a "free" sign on the chairs the poster was leaning against, and the homeowner even came out at one point and said with a laugh "take it all!" I waved, put the framed poster in our car, and headed home.

Turns out it's one of the 5,000 offset lithos printed in 1979 by Gemini G.E.L. in LA for the 50th anniversary of the Whitney in 1980, so it's not just a museum-store reprint. Dimensions are 49 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches. The Gemini credit is in the bottom right corner, but the photo I took of the credit was terrible, so not bothering to post it here (poster is already in the flat files). Sellers on eBay and elsewhere ask $2,500 or more for this piece, which seemed a bit steep to me until I noticed that Skinner sold one just like it on May 11, 2018 for $1,845. That one had a "tack hole at each corner" and "minor creases." This freebie has no holes or creases, and the corners are nice and sharp, so I think it's in better condition. The frame was a piece of trash, so I recycled that, but the poster is in really good shape. I've always liked this image, so nice score. Glad my sweetheart encouraged me to turn around!