Jasper Johns is an iconic American artist who came to define the period between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. In Flag (1954–1955)—a collage of paper, encaustic oil, and fabric that is perhaps his most famous work—Johns makes a formal abstraction from the American stars and stripes while also muting its power. Johns was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1988, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011. He currently lives and works in Sharon, CT. The artist’s works are held in the collections of Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Tate Gallery in London, among others.