Jasper Johns

Jasper Johns, born on May 15, 1930, in Augusta, Georgia, is a pivotal figure in American postwar art, renowned for his contributions as a painter, sculptor, and printmaker. Raised in South Carolina, he graduated as valedictorian from Edmunds High School in 1947 and briefly pursued art studies at the University of South Carolina before moving to New York City. There, he enrolled at Parsons School of Design, although his education was interrupted by military service during the Korean War.

Upon returning to New York in 1953, Johns began working at Marboro Books and formed significant relationships with influential artists, notably Robert Rauschenberg, with whom he shared a romantic and collaborative partnership until 1961. This connection profoundly impacted Johns's artistic development, leading him to explore new themes and techniques.

In 1954, Johns made a transformative decision to destroy his previous works and focus on creating iconic paintings featuring flags, maps, targets, letters, and numbers. These pieces, characterized by their use of familiar symbols, marked a significant shift from the individualism of Abstract Expressionism, prompting viewers to reconsider the nature of representation and the ambiguity of symbols.

Throughout his illustrious career, Johns has received numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1988, the National Medal of Arts in 1990, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1973 and the American Philosophical Society in 2007. A supporter of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and a co-founder of the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, he continues to live and work in Connecticut. Notably, in 2010, his 1958 painting Flag was sold for a staggering one hundred ten million dollars, setting a record for the most expensive artwork sold by a living artist.