An Art of Changes surveys six decades of Jasper Johns’s work in printmaking through a selection of some 90 works in intaglio, lithography, woodcut, linoleum cut, screenprinting, lead relief, and blind embossing —all drawn from the Walker’s complete collection of the artist’s prints. The first major exhibition of his prints in two decades, it will be first presented at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, before traveling to the Walker and three additional US venues.
Johns (b. 1930) is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest American artists. He left his native South Carolina for New York City in the early 1950s and soon became friends with Robert Rauschenberg and other young artists who were finding their subject matter in the everyday world. Johns’s paintings of targets and the American flag, first shown in 1958 at the Leo Castelli Gallery, brought him instant acclaim and established him as a critical link between Abstract Expressionism and Pop art. In the ensuing 60 years, he has continued to astonish viewers with the beauty and complexity of his paintings, drawings, sculpture, and prints.
An Art of Changes traces Johns’s deep immersion in printmaking, beginning with his first lithograph, Target, made in 1960. In the exhibition’s four thematic, roughly chronological sections, viewers will follow Johns as he recycles and revises his motifs. In addition to the familiar flags, numerals, and targets, the exhibition includes images that explore artists’ tools, materials, and techniques of mark-making; abstract works based on motifs known as flagstones and hatch marks; and later works that teem with autobiographical and personal imagery. The Walker’s presentation will also include a small selection of paintings and sculpture.
Curators: Joan Rothfuss, guest curator, Visual Arts
Exhibition Touring Schedule:
Carnegie Museum of Art: October 12, 2019-January 19, 2020
Walker Art Center: February 16, 2020-September 20, 2020
Grand Rapids Art Museum: October 24, 2020-January 24, 2021
Tampa Art Museum: April 28, 2021-September 6, 2021
Parrish Art Museum: May 1–July 31, 2022
RELATED EVENTS
After Hours: Jasper Johns
Saturday, February 15, 8:30pm
Walker Art Center, $20 (Free tickets for Walker members through January 31)
Be the first to preview An Art of Changes and celebrate with live music by Nooky Jones, DJ sets by Shannon Blowtorch, a drop-in art-making workshop, late night bites, specialty cocktails, and more. Free tickets for members are available through January 31.
Become a new Walker member and receive up to two free tickets! Find out more at walkerart.org/membership.
Jennifer Roberts and Cole Rogers in Conversation
Sunday, May 10, 2 pm
Walker Art Center, Free
Join Jennifer Roberts, art historian and Johns scholar from Harvard University, and Cole Rogers, artistic director and master printer at Highpoint Center for Printmaking, for a conversation exploring the rich artistic style of living legend Jasper Johns.