Focal Points: Jasper Johns

One of America’s most acclaimed curator-critics analyzing the work of one of its greatest painters

The Focal Points series collects essays, articles and reviews by acclaimed curator and critic Robert Storr (born 1949). Expertly edited by art historian and curator Francesca Pietropaolo, and richly illustrated, the volumes offer Storr’s illuminating insights into an artist’s practice and way of thinking across recent decades and provide fresh interpretations of the varied territory of modern and contemporary art. This volume gathers, for the first time, Storr’s writings on the work of American painter Jasper Johns (born 1930). An artist internationally recognized for his encaustic paintings of flags, targets and maps, Johns’ "Neo-Dada" works helped to formalize a shift in postwar American art, moving away from Abstract Expressionism and toward Pop art. Storr’s essays and articles provide a unique look at Johns’ practice and its continuing relevance, encapsulating Storr’s process of close examination of and prolonged thinking about Johns’ art.