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How to find meaning in Jasper Johns' White Flag

"As I warmed up to this work, I realized that a work can be inscrutable and you can still love it."
Ian Alteveer
2 min. watch

"As I warmed up to this work, I realized that a work can be inscrutable and you can still love it."

Curator Ian Alteveer on Jasper Johns.

Explore this object:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/487065

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world.

Photography by Karin L. Willis

Art © Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

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Contributors

Ian Alteveer
Aaron I. Fleischman Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art

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Art Mentioned

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White Flag, Jasper Johns American, Encaustic, oil, newsprint, and charcoal on canvas
White Flag
Jasper Johns
1955