Focus: Jasper Johns
December 5, 2008–February 16, 2009
The Paul J. Sachs Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries, second floor
To celebrate the acquisition of a new series of works on paper by Jasper Johns (American, b. 1930), a selection of his paintings, drawings, and prints, all from the Museum's collection, will be on view in the Prints and Illustrated Books Galleries. The untitled series from 2001 is based on Johns's "Catenary" theme, named for the curve formed by a cord hanging between two fixed points. In these thirteen compositions, Johns utilized acrylic, collage, watercolor, and gouache, over aquatint and etching, to layer various motifs and reveal new meanings. The series constitutes a highly illuminating display of the artist's creative process and will be seen in the context of other works, in a variety of mediums, which demonstrate Johns's longstanding practice of reinvestigating a repertoire of images, including flags, numerals, cross-hatchings, body parts, and studies of the four seasons.
Organized by Deborah Wye, The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Chief Curator for Prints and Illustrated Books, The Museum of Modern Art.
Jasper Johns. Flags. 1968. Lithograph. Composition: 34 5/8 x 25 7/8" (87.9 x 65.7cm); sheet (irreg.): 34 5/8 x 25 7/8" (87.9 x 65.7cm). Publisher and printer: Universal Limited Art Editions, West Islip, New York. Printer: Universal Limited Art Editions, West Islip, New York. Edition: 43. The Museum of Modern Art. Gift of the Celeste and Armand Bartos Foundation. Art © Jasper Johns and U.L.A.E./Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
