Contents
Jasper Johns
Turning flags, targets and numbers into paintings that questioned what art represents.
Flag · Target with Four Faces
- Born
- 15 May 1930
- Birthplace
- Augusta, Georgia, United States
More people
Jasper Johns
American artist whose familiar symbols helped shift postwar art beyond Abstract Expressionism.
Early life
Southern childhood
Grew up in South Carolina after his parents separated.
Early study
Briefly studied at the University of South Carolina before moving to New York.
Career
- 1950s
Finding a visual language
Developed paintings of familiar signs and objects after military service.
- 1958–1960s
Breakthrough exhibitions
Gained recognition through Leo Castelli’s gallery and expanded into printmaking.
- 1970s onward
Continuing experiments
Revisited motifs through paintings, prints and layered compositions.
Selected work
Flag
A familiar national symbol rendered in encaustic, oil and collage.
Target with Four Faces
Combined a painted target with sculptural elements.
Painted Bronze
Recreated everyday ale cans as painted sculpture.
Beyond work
Creative community
Worked closely with Robert Rauschenberg and artists around John Cage and Merce Cunningham.
Printmaking
Maintained a sustained interest in the possibilities of different print processes.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: White House videographer for The Obama White House. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
