The Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art will showcase a joint retrospective on the legendary American artist, Jasper Johns. Having first come onto the scene in the 1950s, a decade marked by the dominance of Abstract Expressionism, Johns did not discard representation like his contemporaries, but rather subverted everyday signs and symbols through an encaustic technique that blends pigment and melted wax. His seminal American “Flag” painting served as a precursor to Pop Art and Minimalism and would usher in a seven-decade career that continues to this day.
In “Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror,” curators at both institutions carry out a 65-year survey of the artist’s work across paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture — offering an in-depth look at how Johns would shape contemporary art in the second half of the 20th Century. The exhibition is the largest retrospective in the artist’s career and features 500 works, many of which have rarely been seen by the public.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the exhibitions is that both are held in relatively close proximity to one another. One could technically visit both exhibitions on a given day (a very long day), but an experience that allows for a full scope of John’s influential career. “If The Whitney is a place that is so emphatically oriented towards contemporary art, Philadelphia has this incredible sweep of history. If The Whitney is a place that’s focused on the art of the United States, Philadelphia covers the world,” said Scott Rothkopf, a senior deputy director and Nancy and Steve Crown Family chief curator at The Whitney.
“Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror” will open on September 29 and view until February 13.
In other art news, Daniel Arsham has brought his “Future Relics” aesthetic to Tiffany & Co.
The Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St,
New York, NY 10014
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy,
Philadelphia, PA 19130
