Jasper Johns' Works At National Gallery Of Art, Washington

Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-1965 presents some of Johns' most iconic paintings, drawings, and prints selected from public and private collections, including the artist's own. Departing from the format of the survey or retrospective, the show will trace the unfolding relationship of four specific motifs in Johns' works-the target, the "device," the stenciled naming of colors, and the imprint of the body-revealing the works' significance to the following generation of artists. The exhibition includes the largest group of target paintings ever assembled. After Washington, the exhibition will travel to the Kunstmuseum Basel, June 2 through September 9, 2007, the only other venue.

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

"Jasper Johns is one of the most influential figures in the history of postwar art and the National Gallery of Art's commitment to his work draws from its profound historical significance," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "We are proud to premiere an exhibition of this scope, which provides enormous insight into Johns' philosophy of painting. We are enormously grateful to Target for this sponsorship- its fourth sponsorship at the National Gallery of Art- and Target's continuing commitment to the Gallery."

Exhibition Support

This exhibition is proudly sponsored by Target as part of its commitment to arts and education.
"At Target we strive to make the arts affordable and accessible to youth and families," said Laysha Ward, vice president, community relations, Target. "Through our continued partnership with the National Gallery of Art we are able to expand exposure to the arts - helping to build stronger communities and foster an appreciation and understanding of various cultures and points of view."

The Exhibition

In 1954, in an attempt to reinvent himself, Johns destroyed all the work he had made up to that point. He wanted to start over as an artist and sought a new direction away from abstract expressionism. In pairs and sequences of paintings and works on paper, Johns reduced art-making to a series of quasi-mechanical procedures. These techniques and their significance were embodied by four related motifs: the target, the "device," the stenciled naming of colors, and the imprint of the body, which appeared alone or together in various combinations and excluded almost all other images, most notably the flag and the number. -- www.nga.gov