Museums: National Gallery of Art #13

We recently revisited the East Building of the National Gallery of Art.  

While strolling through one of the galleries, Greg noticed a set of paintings by Jasper Johns (b. 1930).  According to Getty.edu: Johns is an "American painter, sculptor, and printmaker who was one of the leaders of the Pop Art movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his images of targets, flags, maps, and other instantly recognizable subjects. Although he attended the University of South Carolina for over a year and later briefly attended an art school in New York, Johns is largely considered a self-taught artist."  Johns has received a National Medal of Arts (1990) and a Presidential Medal of Freedom (2011).

Below are photos of the paintings on display.  You can judge for yourself whether Johns is "America's foremost living artist" (according to a recent New York Times article).

 

So, is Jasper Johns America's greatest living artist?   If not Johns, then who?

Thanks for revisiting the National Gallery of Art with us.

P.S.  Greg wonders whether the good people at Target were inspired by a Jasper Johns painting, when they created their logo in 1962.  After all, Johns is considered part of the Pop Art movement.  Who knows? 

The original Target logo (1962)