Jasper Johns (b 1930) is regarded as one of the most influential American artists of the last sixty years When he broke onto the New York art scene in the 1950s Johns & his lover Robert Rauschenberg established a decisive new direction in an art world that had been dominated by the Abstract Expressionists Johns's striking use of popular iconography such as flags numbers & maps rendered with a distinctive textural painterly surface made a colossal impact In this handsomely illustrated study skilled writers examine Johns's pioneering oeuvre & offer a detailed overview of the career & international significance of this subtlest of craftsmen