Jasper Johns Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

This afternoon President Obama presented 13 exceptional individuals with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Among them was Jasper Johns, the first studio artist to receive the award since Alexander Calder in 1977. “It has been noted that Jasper Johns’ work, playing off familiar images, has transfixed people around the world,” said Obama at the ceremony, which took place in the East Room of the White House. “Like great artists before him, Jasper Johns pushed the boundaries of what art could be and challenged others to test their own assumptions.