Jasper Johns:
Reversals showcases an exceptional group of
prints by Jasper Johns (American, b. 1930), one of most influential artists of the 20th century. Known for his representations of icons of American culture like flags, targets and maps, Johns is a master printmaker whose work in print influences all aspects of his art. This exhibition brings together a choice selection of Johns鈥 mixed media works from the 1970s through today to show how the logic of printmaking鈥攊ts multiple plates, mirror images, repetitions and reversals鈥攊nforms Johns鈥 art across media, from painting and drawing to relief sculpture and collage. Johns鈥 multifaceted investigations into the methods and materials of printmaking inspire him to reimagine familiar media and forms, and reinvent and reinterpret customary markers of American cultural identity. For Johns, stars and stripes鈥攍ike numbers and letters鈥攁re symbols to be deciphered, decoded and reimagined. His crosshatched stripes, compounded numbers and fragments of newsprint and typeface revolutionized 20th century art, and continue to explore the role of the multiple image in modern and contemporary art.