Jasper Johns American, b. 1930

Jasper Johns studied at the University of South Carolina before moving to New York. There, he encountered such influential artists as Robert Rauschenberg. The famous American painter and sculptor became notable for the very creative usage of familiar symbols and objects in all his works, breaking the boundaries between fine art and mass culture. But it was through early work—like the iconic "Flag" and "Target" series—that Johns used familiarity to explore perception and issues of representation, laying the groundwork for Pop Art.

Johns' technique involves encaustic painting, a method where pigment is mixed with hot wax, creating textured surfaces that add depth to his works. His art draws comparisons to the Dada movement, with its emphasis on questioning and redefining art itself. These works, marked by a meticulous layering of paint and collage, evoke a sense of ambiguity and invite viewers to contemplate the intersection of reality and illusion.

In 1958, after his first solo exhibition at the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York, a tremendous amount of publicity surrounded Johns. Since then, he has been recognized with major retrospectives at several revered locations, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1986, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 1977, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2012. His work is also represented in majors like the Tate Modern in London, the Venice Biennale, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, among many others.

Jasper Johns lives and works in Sharon, Connecticut.