Complementing the
exhibition, several other paintings by Johns from prior periods will be
presented in an adjacent gallery to provide an introduction and context
for the new work. The 1963 painting Land's End, a gift to SFMOMA
in 1972 from Henry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson, will be joined by Fool's
House, 1962, now on extended loan from Jean-Christophe Castelli to the
Museum. Additionally, paintings from Johns' collection of his own work will
be shown, including Wall Piece, 1968, which for many years has been
on long-term loan to SFMOMA, Canvas, 1956, and Souvenir, 1964.
Born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1930, Jasper Johns is generally credited as
a key figure in shifting American art away from Abstract Expressionism and
toward the era of Pop art with his first solo exhibition in 1958. The iconic
flag and target paintings of his early career have become among the most
recognized images of American art; his most recent work, as seen in this
exhibition, is characterized by abstract and austere fields of gray counterposed
with enigmatic personal motifs that sustain reflections on memory and the
nature of art.
A book focusing on Johns' new work will be published in conjunction with
the exhibition, reproducing all of the new paintings and works on paper
for the first time. Featuring thirteen full-color plates and ten black-and-white
illustrations, the catalogue includes an introduction by Gary Garrels and
major essays by Richard S. Field, Johns scholar and curator of prints, drawings
and photographs at the Yale University Art Gallery, and Joachim Pissaro,
Seymour H. Knox Curator of European and Contemporary Art at the Yale University
Art Gallery. The book will be on sale in the SFMOMA MuseumStore.
To order please call 415/357-4035 or email museumstore@sfmoma.org.
The exhibition will travel to the Yale University Art Gallery from January
20 through April 9, 2000, and then to the Dallas Museum of Art.
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