Targeting the Community

So I went down to the National Gallery of Modern Art to check out the Jasper Johns exhibit today.

The National Gallery of Art describes it as the following:

Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-1965 presents some of Johns' most iconic paintings, drawings, and prints selected from public and private collections, including the artist's own. Departing from the format of the survey or retrospective, the show will trace the unfolding relationship of four specific motifs in Johns' works-the target, the "device," the stenciled naming of colors, and the imprint of the body-revealing the works' significance to the following generation of artists. The exhibition includes the largest group of target paintings ever assembled. After Washington, the exhibition will travel to the Kunstmuseum Basel, June 2 through September 9, 2007, the only other venue. The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

One of the motif's the exhibition focuses on is "the target."


Who sponsors this exhibition? Target.


The National Gallery website goes on to say:

Jasper Johns is one of the most influential figures in the history of postwar art and the National Gallery of Art's commitment to his work draws from its profound historical significance," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "We are proud to premiere an exhibition of this scope, which provides enormous insight into Johns' philosophy of painting. We are enormously grateful to Target for this sponsorship- its fourth sponsorship at the National Gallery of Art- and Target's continuing commitment to the Gallery.

An article statement by Target.com says:

Target believes in the power of partnerships with leading cultural institutions to foster creativity, promote learning and build stronger communities. Target is therefore proud to continue its partnership with the National Gallery of Art in Washington as the sponsor of Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955 – 1965. Through this exhibition, guests will experience Johns’ early period of work and view some 80 exceptional works that have had an immense impact on the development of advanced art.

Now, I'm no art expert, but what is fascinating to me is that Johns' work deals with seeing the same image over and over again. He made lots and lots of targets and made pieces about making targets etc. So here's Target paying for an art exhibit about the target icon. I'm not sure which philosophical term applies to that, but I'm sure something's going on there.