JASPER JOHNS

Jasper Johns (b. 1930) is an iconic American artist who came to define the period between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. In Flag (1954-1955), perhaps his most famous work--a collage of paper, encaustic oil, and fabric--Johns makes a formal abstraction from the American stars and stripes while also muting its power. Born in Augusta, GA, Johns left his course of study at the University of South Carolina after one year and moved to New York. While in New York, he met Robert Rauschenberg, Merce Cunningham, and John Cage. Along with the work of his close friend, Rauschenberg, John's sculptural paintings and readymades signified the resurgence of Marcel Duchamp's influence upon contemporary art. Their Neo-Dada works, which blended cultural imagery-signs, maps, and targets-paralleled the advancements made by Pop artists like Andy Warhol. Johns was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1988, and the Preseidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. He currently lives and works in Sharon, CT. The artist's works are held in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Tate Gallery in London, among others.