Jasper Johns

American, 1930-Present

Jasper Johns is a defining figure of postwar American art, known for transforming everyday symbols into subjects of formal inquiry. Born in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in South Carolina, Johns briefly studied at the University of South Carolina and the Parsons School of Design before serving in the U.S. Army—experiences that preceded his emergence as an artist in modern American painting and printmaking. 

His early use of the American flag, numbers, and targets challenged distinctions between image and object, launching a new visual language that bridged Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. These works, still among his most recognizable, remain central to major collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. 

A prolific and inventive printmaker, Johns has continued to experiment across media throughout his career. His influence endures not only in the imagery he redefined, but in the questions he posed about meaning in contemporary art.