Held in Conjunction with Jasper Johns: A Retrospective
October 17, 1996–January 21, 1997
The first exhibition to examine the creative process behind the prints of
Jasper Johns opens at The Museum of Modern Art on October 17. Spanning the
artist's entire career as a printmaker, Jasper Johns: Process and Printmaking,
features 125 proofs and editioned prints drawn almost entirely from the
artist's personal collection. Thirty finished works are presented with a series
of proofs leading up to each print, providing a unique opportunity to study how
Johns refocused his vocabulary of images inprinted art. On view through January
21, 1997, the exhibition is organized by Wendy Weitman, Associate Curator,
Department of Prints and Illustrated Books.
Johns's painting process involves constant alteration and feedback. He brings
the same approach to his printmaking, but in this medium the proofing process
allows the viewer to glimpse the stages of a work's development. Beginning in
the early 1960s, he often embellished early stages of his prints with chalk,
crayon, paint, and ink while exploring and refining his imagery. These
"thoughts, experiments, and asides," as Johns has referred to the proofs,
reveal the evolutionary and pains taking working process behind his challenging
art.
"Jasper Johns is considered by many the most important printmaker of our time,"
remarked Ms. Weitman. "Since the processes of art making are a central theme in
his work generally, a study of the process he employs in printmaking offers a
rare opportunity to examine one of his major artistic concerns."
For further information, contact Mary Lou Strahlendorff, Department of
Communications, 212/708–9755.
