Johns, Jasper (1930- )

US painter, sculptor, and printmaker. He was one of the foremost exponents of pop art. He rejected abstract art, favouring such mundane subjects as flags, maps, and numbers as a means of exploring the relationship between image and reality. His work employs pigments mixed with wax (encaustic) to create a rich surface with unexpected delicacies of colour.

He has also created collages and lithographs. One of his best-known works is Painted Bronze (1960), a bronze of two ale cans, a common theme in his art.

Born in Augusta, Georgia, he moved to New York City 1952. In the 1960s his works became more abstract before veering towards abstract expressionism in the mid-1970s. He was also influenced by the French artist Marcel Duchamp.