Jasper Johns Drawings Exhibition at Matthew Marks Gallery Reveals Artist's Enigmatic Process
At the Matthew Marks Gallery on West 22nd Street, 'Jasper Johns: Drawings 1997–2007' is on view until April 12. This show serves as a companion to the 'Jasper Johns: Gray' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is open until May 4. Renowned for his high auction values and profound impact on art, Johns presents drawings that feature a blend of hesitant and bold strokes. Notable pieces include 'Usuyuki' (2002), a mixed media work from 2004 without a title, and 'Map' (2005) created in graphite. His late-1990s drawings delve into themes of deposition, while the 'Bushbaby' series showcases a variety of motifs, reflecting Johns's interplay between abstraction and representation across time.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Jasper Johns: Drawings 1997–2007' runs until April 12 at Matthew Marks Gallery
- Concurrent exhibition 'Jasper Johns: Gray' at Metropolitan Museum of Art runs through May 4
- Jasper Johns is considered the most successful artist ever with astronomical auction prices
- Johns introduced crosshatch motif in early 1970s, revisited in 'Usuyuki' (2002)
- Exhibition includes works using mixed media, graphite, ink, and unconventional materials like Permalife
- 1996 Museum of Modern Art retrospective was considered problematic and sprawling
- Several drawings explore deposition themes relating to 1992–95 work in MoMA's collection
- Article originally appeared in New York Sun on March 25, 2008
Entities
Artists
- Jasper Johns
Institutions
- Matthew Marks Gallery
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Museum of Modern Art
- New York Sun
Locations
- West 22nd Street
- New York
- United States