Sinister Pop

Nov 15, 2012–Mar 31, 2013

A painting by Jasper Johns. An American flag whose colors are inverted, green for red, orange for blue, and black for white.
A painting by Jasper Johns. An American flag whose colors are inverted, green for red, orange for blue, and black for white.

Jasper Johns (b. 1930), Flags, 1967–68. Lithograph, 34 5/16 x 25 1/2 in. (87.2 x 64.8 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; gift of the artist  69.121. Art © Jasper Johns and ULAE / Licensed by VAGA, New York. Published by ULAE

Sinister Pop presents an inventive take on the Museum’s rich and diverse holdings of Pop art from the movement’s inception in the early 1960s through its aftershocks a decade later. Although Pop art often calls to mind a celebration of postwar consumer culture, this exhibition focuses on Pop’s darker side, as it distorts and critiques the American dream. Themes of exaggerated consumption, film noir and the depiction of women in art, the dystopic American landscape, and the intersection of popular culture and politics, are explored through works by acknowledged masters such as Jasper Johns, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Ruscha, and Andy Warhol, as well as by many artists not traditionally associated with Pop whose art may be understood within its wider field of reference. These include William Eggleston, Peter Saul, Christina Ramberg, and Vija Celmins, among others.

The exhibition is the fourth in a two-year series which reassess the Whitney’s collection in anticipation of the Museum’s move downtown. Unfolding chronologically, these exhibitions explore overlooked developments in American art and reconsider iconic figures and works within new contexts.

Sinister Pop is organized by Donna De Salvo, Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs, and Scott Rothkopf, Curator and Associate Director of Programs.

Ongoing support for the permanent collection and major support for Sinister Pop is provided by
Bank of America.

Bank of America

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On the Hour

A 30-second online art project:
Maya Man, A Realistic Day In My Life Living In New York City

Learn more about this project

Learn more at whitney.org/artport

On the Hour projects can contain motion and sound. To respect your accessibility settings autoplay is disabled.